Druids from around Europe may have protested against visitor centre’s historical exhibition but conservation group glad to finally see modernisation project realised
A £27 million (€32 million) project to modernise facilities at Stonehenge has been opened after decades of planning.
More than a million people flock to the popular ancient monument in Wiltshire, UK, each year, with hundreds attending ceremonies to mark the solstices.
Since the end of the 19th century, Stonehenge has been “severely compromised” by the intrusion of roads and traffic, with “outdated and inadequate” visitor facilities.
The first day was marred slightly by dozens of druids who travelled from as far as Holland and Scotland to hold a colourful protest outside the centre when it opened.
They called for English Heritage to rebury remains on display, held signs asking tourists to boycott the popular site, banged on drums and sang songs about their ancestors.
King Arthur Pendragon, who led a group of around 60 protesters, said the Day of Action would be the “first of many” against English Heritage’s decision to display the bones.
There’s been no exhibition, no opportunities for people to have a cup of tea, even
“At the end of the day, we feel that English Heritage are out of step with world opinion,” said Mr Pendragon, who leads The Loyal Arthurian Warband group.
“World practice favours repatriation and reburial rather than display. With modern technology and 3D printing, there’s no reason they couldn’t have put replicas on display.
“They are stuck in the Victorian ethic of having a peep show and putting bones behind glass.”
Work to “restore the dignity” of the monument began last year.
A section of the A344 road, which runs past Stonehenge, was permanently closed in June.
The centre, designed by architects Denton Corker Marshall, lies a mile-and-a-half to the west of the stones.
Stonehenge is not immediately visible, with tourists able to use a 10-minute shuttle bus or walk down a newly reconnected ancient processional approach.
Further work to decommission the existing facilities, built in 1968, and returning the car park to grass will commence in January.
The transformation is the largest capital project ever undertaken by English Heritage.
Simon Thurley, chief executive of English Heritage, said: “This is the end of an incredibly long journey.
“Stonehenge is almost certainly the most famous ancient monument in the world and up until now it hasn’t really had adequate visitor facilities.
“There’s been no exhibition, no opportunities for people to have a cup of tea, even.
“This is a radical change for the million people a year who come to Stonehenge.
“They can see the stones for the first time free from the clutter and rubbish that have accrued around them since the 1960s.
“They can understand them properly because we have an exhibition here that can take people back into the Neolithic period.
“We now have something I think is worthy of one of the world’s greatest archaeological sites.”
Dr Thurley added: “In 1927 it was announced that the A344 would be closed. That was 85 years ago.
“By the 1960s there was a view that there should be a bit more for visitors and the first scheme was proposed.
“The first objectors started objecting and that has been the story for almost 55 years.”
The exhibition will be the first to explain Stonehenge to visitors, with 250 prehistoric objects, many unseen before, on loan from various collections.
One highlight is the most advanced forensic reconstruction of an early Neolithic man’s face, based on a 5,500-year-old skeleton that was buried in a long barrow 1.5 miles (2.4km) from Stonehenge.
There is a 360-degree Stand in the Stones experience, using state-of-the-art laser scans, to allow visitors to experience summer and winter solstices.
Two rare 14th century manuscripts, including some of the earliest drawings of the monument, Roman coins and jewellery are also on display.