The Summer Solstice at Stonehenge

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 The ancient monument of Stonehenge is one of the most famous symbols of Britain. It is situated on Salisbury Plain in Wiltshire, England, a couple of hours' drive from London going towards Wales. An outer ring of vertical sarsen stones are topped by connecting lintel stones. Inside the monument is a ring of smaller bluestones, inside which are free-standing trilithons. The landscape surrounding Stonehenge is rich in Neolithic and Bronze Age monuments, including burial mounds that are visible from the monument itself.

Though the monument has long been in a ruined state, it is still possible to tell that it was built to align with the solstices - both winter and summer. In summer, it is aligned towards the sunrise: the sun rises behind the Heel Stone in the north east, its rays shining into the centre of the monument. We don't know exactly what people did at Stonehenge at the Solstice, but we know this time was considered important: unsurprisingly, when people had to live their lives according to the seasons and the turning of the year.

Stonehenge is estimated to be between 4000 and 5000 years old and is a legally protected scheduled monument. Visitors are not allowed to walk within the stones, except on the Solstices, where modern day druids, pagans and other interested people witness the sun rise from the centre of the monument, continuing and developing a tradition that has been going on for millennia.

I visited Stonehenge for the first time this year, a few days after the 2023 summer solstice. Even with the crowds of visitors it felt a magical place. The historic landscape is still full of secrets and I find it incredible to think that these stones have been standing for so long. Probably we will never know exactly why Stonehenge was built, but its connection to the Solstices seems certain.

Stonehenge

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