The latest press release from English Heritage 15/09/2004:
A landscape reunited
The Stonehenge landscape of Salisbury Plain in Wiltshire could be transformed into one of the biggest creative conservation projects in the world if a planning application submitted to Salisbury District Council and launched on Wednesday 15 September is successful.
Today, this most famous and loved of monuments stands amidst an appalling assembly of modern day clutter - noise, traffic jams, barbed wire fences and inadequate visitor facilities. This planning application is a major
step towards rescuing the lost landscape in which it once proudly stood so that visitors can again enjoy the Stones and the space that make it such a special place.
The planning application, containing detailed proposals for new visitor and access facilities, is a crucial step towards realising the overall aims of the Stonehenge Project which are to:
* remove the visual impact and noise of roads and traffic from the vicinity of the Stones;
* reunite Stonehenge and its surrounding monuments in their natural chalk downland landscape setting;
* create the conditions for improved biodiversity with flowers, butterflies, birds and insects flourishing;
* create a ground-breaking education and interpretation centre just outside the World Heritage Site at Countess East; and
* improve access, including the provision of an environmentally sensitive transit system from the new interpretation centre into the Stonehenge landscape.
Sir Neil Cossons, Chairman of English Heritage, said: "Stonehenge stands as a testament to the ingenuity of our ancestors. Today it stands as a testament to all that is wrong about 21st century living. It is the duty and privilege of a civilized society to look after its past. Until now, we
have let it and our ancestors down.
"If successful, this planning application will allow us to remove the worst excesses of the modern day and create a seamless downland landscape around the Stones, while providing the visitor with ground-breaking education and
interpretation facilities and entertainment of the highest quality outside the World Heritage Site.
"Our aim is to help people navigate the site physically, intellectually and emotionally. The experience must draw on all the senses and lead people to a greater understanding of humankind and our interaction with nature.
"At last it looks as if the millions of people who come to visit Stonehenge from all over the world will receive the inspiring and uplifting experience that they expect and the Stones deserve. We want those visitors to leave with a unique feeling of connection, of having better understood our place
in civilization and with a desire to understand better and protect our heritage."
A landscape building
Designed by internationally renowned architects Denton Corker Marshall, the new, single storey visitor reception building will seem to disappear into the landscape as an elegant sweeping wall, a single break in its surface
marking the entrance. It will be a 'landscape' building rather than a 'landmark' building, sensitive to its ancient surroundings and deferential to the over-riding significance of the monument and the landscape.
Located just outside the World Heritage Site, it will contain exhibitions, educational facilities, a café and other amenities. Many artefacts found in the World Heritage Site will also be on display for the first time. It will be fully accessible to disabled visitors.
Architect Barrie Marshall said: "What we do at Stonehenge has to be deferential. The object is not to produce a building that people will visit for its own sake. It will be subtle and low-key, more about earth and sky than a building which stands up and says 'look, aren't I clever'."
Land train
A land train will take visitors from the new interpretation centre to the Stones via a series of drop-off points in the World Heritage Site.
The 25 minute journey will include:
Woodhenge, another circular monument made of wood and contemporary to the Stone Circle;
King Barrow Ridge, on the edge of the Stonehenge amphitheatre with its numerous and impressive barrows;
the eastern end of the Cursus, a three kilometre long early Neolithic ceremonial earthwork which predates the start of Stonehenge;
and Durrington Farm, a 10-15 minute walk from Stonehenge.
Special arrangements will be made for those less able to gain access to the Stones.
In order to minimise any impact on the landscape, the land train will travel on a non-intrusive porous trackway laid on the surface of the ground, and if future generations don't like it, it will be entirely removable.
Improving the Stonehenge landscape
Wildlife will also benefit as ploughed land in the World Heritage Site is returned to species-rich grassland. The National Trust, who owns much of the land surrounding the Stones, has already started this process, so that
wild flowers, insects, birds and animals can flourish and DEFRA, through its Countryside Stewardship Scheme has helped farmers to revert from arable to pasture land.
Martyn Heighton, the National Trust's Territory Director West said: "These landscape changes are only one part of a wider, shared vision to re-unite the Stones with their surrounding landscape, restoring the dignity of this
unique site and enriching the experience for over three quarters of a million people who visit each year.
"English Heritage's planning application is a welcome step towards realising this vision and transforming the experience of Stonehenge for the better. We hope that in future, by journeying through the landscape, visitors will gain a greater sense of the area's special spirit of place. We look forward to a wide-ranging public consultation to review English Heritage's proposals in earnest, and to help deliver a sustainable future of this uniquely important historic site."
Next steps
Work on the new building and transit system would begin once planning permission is granted. A decision is expected in 2005.
Funding
The overall cost of the new visitor facilities and access scheme is UKP 67.5 million with funding coming from a number of sources.
The Heritage Lottery Fund has already provided a development grant of UKP 1.179 million and has approved a Stage 1 pass for further funding of up to UKP 25 million, subject to a successful Stage 2 application.
The Government has contributed UKP 3 million to date through the Department for Culture Media and Sport; and is currently committed to contributing a further UKP 10million; and English Heritage has committed funds towards the
project and, along with its partner the National Trust, will raise the balance of funding through a major fundraising campaign; UKP 2.5 million has already been pledged from private sources.
For further information please visit: http://www.thestonehengeproject.org |
[ Reply to This ]
| Re: Stonehenge centre plans unveiled by Anonymous on Sunday, 03 October 2004 | | Two things are really annoying to me about these plans, firstly we as a country seem to just make a mess of things that we try to preserve. For example, lack of forsight meant that the current car park at Stonehenge was actually built on top of probably the most interesting and ancient site there! (Basically a totem pole around 8000bc, before the pyramids!). What then will the tunnel destroy? What will the landtrain cover over? Secondly, what will the cost to the visitor be?. It is already expensive to visit stonehenge with the current facilities (which are quite good I thought) considering most people had visited them free of charge until a few years ago. To me these plans sound like the justification of charging a fortune for something that should be free of charge for all. It is OUR Heritage as British people and this site as I understand it was donated by a private land owner in the, relatively, not too distant past. In closing Protect our heritage but do not commercialise it... Jaeson |
[ Reply to This ]
|
We would like to know more about this location. Please feel free to add a brief description and any relevant information in your own language.
Wir möchten mehr über diese Stätte erfahren. Bitte zögern Sie nicht, eine kurze Beschreibung und relevante Informationen in Deutsch hinzuzufügen.
Nous aimerions en savoir encore un peu sur les lieux. S'il vous plaît n'hesitez pas à ajouter une courte description et tous les renseignements pertinents dans votre propre langue.
Quisieramos informarnos un poco más de las lugares. No dude en añadir una breve descripción y otros datos relevantes en su propio idioma.