The Twisted Trilithon of Stonehenge

Last year I put together all my thoughts spread over many posts on this blog into a paper about why Stone 56 is skewed at Stonehenge, and what it might mean.

The paper is being published this month by the WANHS to my immense pleasure.

It has been edited and improved by the magazine, but a draft is  here - The Twisted Trilithon of Stonehenge - UPDATE - now corrected version to remove some typos.

More at http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-wiltshire-32356993

The Breast on Stone 16

Stone 16 is finely worked on the north eastern side, where it is on the side of the midwinter sunset alignment. The surface has been finely pecked to a smooth and straight surface, except for a nobble. This protrusion appears to have had its outer most part broken off but appears to have been deliberately left. It is just below head height.

I have no explanation for it and I try to avoid Pareidolia but it is reminiscent of a breast, or is that just me?  

Click to embiggen

UPDATE - I learn that "The giant 9.5m menhir of Kerloas in Plouarzel was deliberately smoothed but two projecting bosses were left on either side. These were later associated with fertility, marriage and healing properties if you rubbed yourself against them" Frenchpostcardsofmegaliths @PhilWat09037421

Stonehenge and the Neolithic Cosmos book available now!

Among the most mysterious, iconic, instantly recognizable structures in the world, Stonehenge has for many centuries been viewed through the shroud of stark majesty; a shambling folly in grand decay, singularly stoic and alone out on the blustery Salisbury Plain, England. But a true understanding of its significance has been stymied within that poetic context. Only recently has a certain prosaic inevitability incorporated the entire landscape into a larger perspective. Now this ancient edifice has begun to surrender her jealous secrets in subtle ways. Who were the people who built this timeless enigma? Atkinson called them 'Howling Savages'. Stukeley more politely refers to 'Our Rude Cousins'. But how did such brutes erect this sublime monument with a precision unmatched until Roman times - 2,000 years later? How could such layered meaning and obvious metaphor within the construct have been so elusive for millennia? Did Druids really build it? Was Stonehenge a Cathedral to the Sun? Was summer solstice the sole focus of their belief-system? How much of this ancient knowledge has been lost to the ages?

Stonehenge and the Neolithic Cosmos is written for the curious lay-person, but any seasoned professional might feel at home reading this profusely illustrated, illuminating report on the latest interpretation of the famous ruin. With exclusive access to a wealth of private information, ND Wiseman pulls aside the foggy curtain of history, legend and rumor to reveal some startling surprises about the world’s most beloved and mysterious prehistoric monument.

Stonehenge Memories Wanted!

Stonehenge  - a monumental sale....

September the 21st 2015 marks an important anniversary in Stonehenge’s long history. Exactly 100 years before this the Antrobus family of West Amesbury sold some of their estate at auction, and in the auction catalogue lot 15 was Stonehenge..... This was knocked down for the sum of £6,600 to a local businessman, Cecil Chubb who had apparently gone to the auction to buy chairs – but ended up on impulse buying Stonehenge!  

A few years after Cecil Chubb generously gave Stonehenge to the nation which meant that long overdue restoration work could start in earnest. To commemorate the anniversary of the auction English Heritage is mounting a special exhibition at the new Stonehenge visitor centre. As well as the auction itself, the exhibition will look at the ways in which both Stonehenge and the rich archaeological landscape that surrounds it have been looked after over the last 150 years. Buildings have come and gone while fields of grass have been ploughed up and then returned to pasture.

The curator for the exhibition is local archaeologist Julian Richards, a recognised Stonehenge expert perhaps best known for his TV series ‘Meet the Ancestors’. Julian is looking for anyone in the Salisbury or Amesbury area, or further afield, who has any stories, photographs or objects that will help to tell this story to one million visitors who come to Stonehenge each year.

So...

Do you have any connection to the Chubb family who bought Stonehenge and lived in Salisbury?

Do you know anything about the Stonehenge cafe that stood by the side of the road near Stonehenge until it was demolished by the National Trust in the late 1920’s? Did any of your relatives work there? Do you have any photographs or items that are connected with it?

Did any of your relatives work on the restoration of Stonehenge in the 1920’s or later? or did you yourself work there in the 50’s and 60’s – raising fallen stones to make it a safe place to visit?

If you can help Julian in any way then please contact him on 01747851531 or e mail him at julian@archaemedia.co.uk . Messages for him can also be left at Salisbury Museum.

And please come and visit the exhibition which opens - predictably - on the 21st September 2015.        

Stanton Drew Big Mound

The Bath and Camerton Archaeological Society has published many reports on Stanton Drew (amongst other reports) including the most recent investigation into the Big Mound there. It was thought (hoped) it might be a Silbury like artificial one, it seems it is just a natural feature.

These reports are available from http://www.bacas.org.uk/publications.shtml

Stanton Drew - Probing the Big Ground Mound 2014 (High Resolution Print Version)

Stanton Drew - Probing the Big Ground Mound 2014 (Low Resolution Screen Version)

Stanton Drew - Report on The Big Ground Mound 2013 (High Resolution Print Version)

Stanton Drew - Report on The Big Ground Mound 2013 (Low Resolution Screen Version)

Valley of the Stones - Observations of Possible Megalithic Structures in the Valley of Stones, Dorset

Hautville's Quoit - Stanton Drew Surveys, 2012 - Hautville's Quoit ((High Resolution Print Version)

Hautville's Quoit - Stanton Drew Surveys, 2012 - Hautville's Quoit (Low Resolution Screen Version)

Stanton Drew Report - Stanton Drew Report 2010 (High Resolution Print Version)

Stanton Drew Report - Stanton Drew Report 2010 (Low Resolution Screen Version)

Stanton Drew Report - Stanton Drew Report 2009

Stanton Drew Stones - High Resolution Overhead Photos of the Stones


Hat tip to Brian John

WANHS on Stonehenge - Victorian Volumes

Many past copies of the WAHNS annual publication are available online


A couple of examples:

Wiltshire Archaeological and Natural History Society Volume: 16
Publisher: Devizes : Wiltshire Archaeological and Natural History Society
Year: 1876 - 1876 (Many Stonehenge Articles)

and:
From 1865 an investigation into how to move the stones.

Carrying heavy loads over mountains

64 people to carry an object that approximates to the weight of a bluestone..

For information about the Nepal Car Porters:

https://nepalitimes.com/news/nepal-s-last-car-porter-dies-a6zdi7wy