Hundreds of people attended the summer solstice at Stonehenge despite official advice asking them not to travel to the site in line with Covid restrictions. As a result English Heritage pulled a live feed of the sunrise at the neolithic monument in Wiltshire at BST due to safety concerns. People were seen climbing over a low fence to access the stones. Wiltshire Police said the event was peaceful but added the number of people at nearby Avebury had caused issues.
More than , people from around the world tuned in to the live stream for the solstice but ended up watching pre-recorded footage of the stones until the feed returned at around BST, showing largely cloudy skies. Video from the scene showed about a hundred people inside the stone circle and a banner reading "Standing for Stonehenge".
English Heritage had been preparing to welcome visitors in person until the government delayed the easing of covid restrictions into July. It said the "difficult decision" to cancel planned celebrations was made following discussions with Wiltshire Council and Wiltshire Police. It meant the organisation held a virtual event for the second consecutive year. Apologising for the live stream outage, host Ed Shires said: "We have been disappointed that a number of people have chosen to disregard our request to not travel to the stones this morning and that is the reason why we haven't been able to bring you the pictures that we would have liked to have done.
A spokeswoman for English Heritage added: "The Covid restrictions were extended for a reason and it was disappointing to see, during a pandemic, people act in a way that put themselves, our staff and the police at risk.
On Saturday June 20, the sunset at Stonehenge will be livestreamed on the English Heritage social media platforms. The next morning, the sunrise behind the Heel Stone, the ancient entrance to the Stonehenge Stone Circle, will also be livestreamed.
English Heritage has put together a programme of activities, including interviews with historians about the symbolism of the solstice. Nichola Tasker, Stonehenge director at English Heritage, said: "We hope that our live stream offers an alternative opportunity for people near and far to connect with this spiritual place at such a special time of year and we look forward to welcoming everyone back next year.
The Golowan Festival in Penzance, Cornwall, which celebrates the solstice, has also been cancelled — and a virtual festival will take place instead. ES Money. Separately, police closed an area near Avebury stone circle in case the restrictions at Stonehenge led people to gather there. This article is more than 4 months old. English Heritage axes sunrise coverage after people disregarded advice not to travel to monument Coronavirus — latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage.
People gathering at the closed Stonehenge monument for the summer solstice on Monday morning. Recovered items include everything from arrow heads and battle axes to antler picks and flint hammerstones, with each piece and every site playing a key part in understanding life in Neolithic and Bronze Age Britain. Highlights of the Stonehenge collection of artefacts can be viewed on the English Heritage Website.
Linking the River Avon with Stonehenge and measuring just under two miles across Salisbury Plain, Stonehenge Avenue forms what may have been a procession route to the stone circle. Formed of two equidistant banks, it was first discovered in the 18th century and runs north east from Stonehenge for around metres before changing direction several times on its route to the river.
Constructed during the Neolithic period, somewhere between BC and BC, the site includes a vast set of earthworks and a section of Avebury village. Around stones formed the biggest stone circle, with two further rings found within it.
Archaeologist Alexander Keiller excavated the site in the s and a number of the key finds can be found within the museum at the site which bears his name. In recent times, archaeologists working at Avebury have uncovered evidence of an underground square megalith monument within the confines of the stone circle, although its exact purpose is yet to be determined.
Another site close to Stonehenge, Woodhenge dates back to around BC. Aerial photography played a vital role in determining that the site included a number of timber posts that formed six concentric circles, which may have originally bolstered a ring-shaped building at what was initially thought to be a Neolithic burial mound.
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