Radical solution proposed for Stonehenge

Guardian Unlimited ^ | Saturday October 7, 2006 | Maev Kennedy

[SunkenCiv]

Last night Professor Peter Fowler, an internationally acknowledged expert on the Stonehenge landscape and on World Heritage Sites management, washed his hands of the whole argument. The A303, a main artery to the south west that narrows to a grinding two-lane traffic jam where it passes the stone circle, should be closed and replaced with a tunnel, and the smaller A344 which actually clips the heel stone of the monument, should also go, he said, adding, "But since no sort of a tunnel is going to be built, the A303 should be kept exactly as and where it is, because neither widening it nor allowing it to career off sinuously to north or south is an option."

[SunkenCiv]

Gee, it must be Blair's fault.

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National disgrace ... heavy traffic on the A303 near Stonehenge -- Photograph: Sean Smith

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[SunkenCiv]

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[RightWhale]

The stones stood for 3500 years since erected by Egyptian project managers of the North Atlantic trade routes, but traffic vibration will finally knock them all down.

[SunkenCiv]

:')

[GoforBroke]

When I visited the site in 2001, I was surprised that the motorway was so close. Before that I always assumed that it was off the beaten path in a farmers field.

[RightWhale]

Sherwood Forest is also much diminished. Maybe Robin Hood could still hang out there, but the Merry Men would have to lurk someplace else. Also Walden Pond in Massachusetts is no longer secluded.

[FairWitness]

When I visited the site in 2001, I was surprised that the motorway was so close. Before that I always assumed that it was off the beaten path in a farmers field.

When I visited there in 1970, it was "off in a farmer's field" (at least in the memories I have of it). Whatever road was near it must not have been nearly so obvious then. It's a shame, but time has been similarly unkind to other antique treasures such as the classic bronze horses of St. Mark's Cathedral in Venice which, if I remember correctly, had to be taken down and placed indoors to escape pollution damage.

[Cruising Speed]

I don't know about the Egyptian engineers but the stones were last put back up about a hundred years ago. If they fall down again, just put them back up again, simple.

[dfwgator]

[RightWhale]

Perhaps if the set them up on the Vernal Equinox like eggs they would stay up.

[Cruising Speed]

btw, there is a Stonehenge replica about a hundred miles from where I live in Portland, I visit it occasionally--its very cool and only a couple of miles from a very nice museum, too.

[Cruising Speed]

Paint them like Easter eggs?

[SunkenCiv]

http://squirl1.blogspot.com/2005/07/foamhenge-in-nunica.html

http://www.weirdmichigan.com/folkart.html

http://www.roadsideamerica.com/set/OVERhenges.html

[RightWhale]

Weren't they originally painted? Be a surprise if they weren't.

[SunkenCiv]

various replicas:

Google

[alwaysconservative]

LOLOL! One of my all-time favorite movies!

[Salamander]

Wow.
Stonehenge is a lot smaller than I imagined.