Stonehenge
I N F O R M AT I O N F O R T U T O R S A N D S T U D E N T S
IN TOURISM STUDIES
Chubb who was later knighted and
became Sir Cecil, 1st Baronet of
Stonehenge. In 1918 it was
donated to the nation and
came into the care of the
Ministry of Works, then
in1984 it was entrusted to
English Heritage.
In November 1986 Stonehenge
was inscribed by UNESCO
(United Nations Educational,
Scientific and Cultural
Organisation) as a World Heritage
CONTENTS
Background information p 1
Development as a tourist
attraction p 1
Publicity leaflet for Stonehenge.
The work of English Heritage p 2
BACKGROUND
INFORMATION
Stonehenge and the landscape in
which it stands is unique. Sited
within a 13 acre triangle are hundreds of prehistoric monuments
constructed between 5,000 and
3,000 years ago. The most famous
element of this landscape is the
stone circle, which when complete,
formed a circle of upright stones
topped by lintels. Inside was an
inner arrangement of stones in a
horseshoe shape, with the open
end on the north-east side, where
the original entrance (marked now
by one of its original stones,
known as the Heel Stone) was situated. A processional way, known
now as The Avenue, led to the
entrance, and both the entrance
and The Avenue align with the
direction of the midsummer sunrise. The exact purpose of
Stonehenge is uncertain, but it is
thought that it was the centre of an
enormously important landscape
and that it was a symbol of great
power and authority. Even now in
its incomplete state, it is vastly
impressive and an awesome testimony to the engineering
capabilities of its builders.
DEVELOPMENT AS A
TOURIST ATTRACTION
Conservation at Stonehenge p 2
Presenting Stonehenge to
visitors p 2
Impact on the locality p 3
Human resources p 3
Visitor services p 4
Marketing p 5
The Future of Stonehenge p 5
Learning opportunities p 6
Making a visit p 8
In 1915 Stonehenge was bought at
auction for £6,600 by Mr Cecil
E D U C AT I O N
Site. The monument has attracted
visitors since at least 1130 when
Henry of Huntingdon wrote about
the site.
THE WORK OF ENGLISH
HERITAGE
English Heritage is a government
body responsible to the Department of Culture, Media and Sport.
It identifies and protects the parts
of our environment which are
architecturally or historically
important; buildings are entered
on a list (listed buildings); very old
monuments and buried remains
onto a schedule (scheduled ancient
monuments) and gardens onto a
register, (registered parks and gardens). Battlefields and areas of
special architectural or historic
interest (conservation areas) are
also identified for protection.
English Heritage has four main
tasks:
■ to conserve the best of
England's historic monuments,
sites, buildings and gardens for the
benefit of present and future
generations
■ to raise awareness of the built
heritage and commitment to
preserving it
■ to promote people's enjoyment
and understanding of this country's past through its physical
remains
■ to assist others to conserve historic remains, by providing technical and financial support.
English Heritage directly manages
over 400 historic properties which
are open to visitors. They include
pre-historic monuments like
Stonehenge; Roman remains, like
villas and defence works; medieval
castles, abbeys and priories; Tudor
and Stuart forts; and houses, agricultural and industrial buildings.
Some are well preserved and others are ruins. Some are very well
2
known and others are important
because they reflect the history of
their locality.
The role of English Heritage is to
conserve these properties, that is,
to repair and protect them from
further decay. There is normally
no attempt to restore a site to its
original, complete form. English
Heritage also helps the public to
understand its properties by providing aides to interpretation.
These include displays, photographs, taped tours, guide books,
panels to help people understand
what they are looking at, models,
videos and interactive equipment.
CONSERVATION AT
STONEHENGE
The stones have been traditionally
the major attraction for visitors,
and until 1978, the general public
was permitted to walk in the stone
circle. However, visitor pressure
caused the ground in and around
the stone circle to wear rapidly.
The surface became bare of grass
exposing the chalk which is rich in
archaeological remains. Initially,
an attempt was made to alleviate
the erosion by spreading gravel
over the surface. Unfortunately,
this had little effect, and a decision
was taken to rope off the area to
ensure the safety of both the stone
circle and its visitors.
This arrangement also offers
every visitor an equal opportunity
to see Stonehenge and be photographed with Stonehenge as a
backdrop. Additionally, some
underpinning was undertaken; the
soil was replaced and grassed over,
and since then the general public's
access to within the stone circle
has been restricted. The ordinary
visitor now walks around the monument within 7 metres of the
stones.
Stonehenge continues to deteriorate, through visitor pressure and
chemical pollutants such as traffic
fumes and traffic vibration. The
stones are monitored daily and a
year-round ground maintenance
programme of remedial work is
identified, budgeted for and
undertaken. Any health and safety
issues arising at the site are dealt
with immediately. The cost of
running such a site is relatively low
with most expenditure covering
security, grounds maintenance and
staffing.
PRESENTING
STONEHENGE TO
VISITORS
Although visitors can no longer
touch the monument, they do have
the opportunity to feel the surfaces
of the two stone types that were
used in the construction of
Stonehenge, as two ‘touching
stones’ have been placed at the
entrance to the visitor facilities. The
smaller stone, thought by some to
have magical powers, feels warm to
touch. When the monument is
closed to the public, special access
admission to the centre circle can
be obtained on written request in
advance by contacting the
Stonehenge Office at Amesbury.
(Address at end.)
A gift shop has an extensive range
of books and gift items
specific to Stonehenge. The site
caters for disabled visitors with provision of a toilet, a wheelchair, free
use of large print and Braille guides,
and a hearing loop used in conjunction with the audio tour. There are
currently discussions to include the
Chinese language in the leaflets,
guide and Audio Tour but no formal commitment has been made to
date.
Currently, a brief explanatory
leaflet is given to visitors when purchasing a ticket. The guide is printed in nine languages: English,
French, German, Italian, Spanish,
Japanese, Swedish, Dutch and
Russian. There is a complimentary
three part Audio Tour (subject to
availability) in the same nine
languages at the entrance point.
A foot tunnel, known as the underpass, beneath the A344 links the visitor facilities to the monument. The
IMPACT ON THE
LOCALITY
As well as being a major honey pot
visitor attraction, Stonehenge is also
the major contributor to tourism
within the Salisbury area. There are
other significant attractions in the
surrounding area - including Old
Sarum and Salisbury Cathedral, but
the stones are the premier pull, and
a major influencing factor on visitors
to the area.
Over 50% of visitors to Stonehenge
are from overseas and are travelling
in the area. Amesbury, a small market town approximately 2 miles
(3.2km) from the monument, benefits from visitors' custom at local bed
and breakfast establishments, public
houses and cafes, but these are few
and there is potential for more. The
town is working hard to encourage
extra facilities.
Similarly, the local road network
has seen the upgrading of the A303
to its junction with the M3 making
the area readily accessible from
London and south east England.
Consequently, Amesbury has benefited economically from the growth
in visitor numbers to the monument.
Not so near but well within travelling distance are the towns of
always staff on duty at the stones to
answer visitors' questions. All the
staff at the site are trained in customer service and have a knowledge
of the history of Stonehenge.
There are no unpaid volunteers
employed at the site.
Responsibility is delegated
throughout the team and each
team member is encouraged to have
a creative input. Visitor Operations
have their own set of responsibilities
English Heritage Photo Library
tunnel path is covered with a nonslip gravel surface, the banks at the
tunnel entrances have been planted
with native trailing plants, and the
tunnel walls illustrate the surrounding area before, during and after the
building of the monument.
To discourage cars from parking
on the A344, and visitors from
walking along the road, the roadside
verge has been raised. In 1996, a
light aluminium walkway was laid
down, to encourage visitors to
approach the stone circle. It is
moved every few days to allow the
underlying grass to recover and to
prevent scarring. The walkway
allows a more complete view and
appreciation of the stones, as well as
encouraging more of the visitors to
enter the site, rather than merely
viewing it from the road side.
Audio tours available free of charge in nine
languages.
Salisbury, with its medieval cathedral, and Bath, with its many
Georgian buildings, both with wideranging tourist facilities. However,
there are negative as well as positive
effects from tourism, for the
increased volume of visitor traffic
does lead to congestion on the roads
at the height of the season, and may
have led to increased pollution
problems for the local environment.
HUMAN RESOURCES
The management is divided
between on-site staff and Office
staff. On site there are 20 permanent staff at Stonehenge throughout
the year. This figure increases during the peak summer season when
additional temporary staff are
employed. Corporate and wider
issues relating to Stonehenge are
dealt with at the Office where there
are two full time and two part time
members of staff.
During the high season (April to
September) the site custodians,
whenever possible, provide guided
tours for non-coach parties in
English from the public footpath
around the monument. Coach
tours generally arrive with their own
guide and their own strictly limited
time-slot, as the visit normally forms
part of a broader tour. There are
English Heritage Stonehenge Office
STONEHENGE DIRECTOR
PERSONAL ASSISTANT
1 FULL TIME ADMINISTRATOR
1 PART TIME ADMINISTRATOR
On-Site Office
1 HEAD OF VISITOR
OPERATIONS
2 VISITOR OPERATIONS
MANAGERS
10 VISITOR OPERATIONS
TEAM MEMBERS
1 FULL TIME MEMBERSHIP
RECRUITER
1 PART TIME MEMBERSHIP
RECRUITER
and
2 FULL TIME CLEANING AND
MAINTENANCE STAFF
24 SECURITY STAFF (contract)
CATERING STAFF (franchise)
AND IN THE SUMMER
SEASON
UP TO 10 SEASONAL VISITOR
OPERATIONS TEAM MEMBERS
1 PART TIME SEASONAL
GROUNDSMAN
(Summer season from March/April
to September)
3
outlined for them in their work
manual and these are discussed as
part of their induction programme.
Visitor Operations have five main
responsibilities:
■ deliver the very best customer
service
■ to help visitors understand and
appreciate the site and promote a
better experience
■ to encourage sales and to meet
set targets
■ to keep records needed by
English Heritage
VISITOR SERVICES
The monument ranks amongst
the top twenty visitor attractions
in the United Kingdom, and as
can be seen in the visitor data, the
numbers have increased annually.
These figures list the visitors
passing through the turnstiles but
do not include those who use the
car park and toilets, or view
Stonehenge from the road side.
English Heritage have customer
service quality standards that cover:
■ welcoming all visitors
■ visitor service
■ to keep the site clean, safe and
secure.
There is also a site manual on
health, safety and security which
covers policies, how they are
implemented, and codes of practice. English Heritage expects
high standards of performance
from its entire staff and these
standards are made very clear in
the manual and assessed regularly
by the Head of Visitor Operations.
■ introducing and explaining the
site
■ explaining how to use the audio
tour
■ site admissions and ticket sales
■ specialist enquiries
Stonehenge is so well known abroad that it is
used to promote English Heritage’s Overseas
Visitor Pass, a pass which is sold to visitors to
this country.
■ membership sales
■ retail sales
Visitors to Stonehenge
Paying
visitors
Education
visitors
Members
(inc OVP)
Other free
visitors
GBH
Total
visitors
1997/98
676,151
27,285
22,146
35,541
14,712
775,835
1998/99
725,469
28,628
23,922
40,068
14,453
832,540
1999/00
728,048
27,141
22,270
44,344
14,491
836,294
2000/01
684,608
24,915
23,726
43,898
13,280
790,427
2001/02
602,004
24,348
24,948
52,025
10,240
713,565
2002/03
644,196
27,664
26,393
48,373
9,118
755,744
2003/04
368,680
33,220
27,340
49,091
9,390
757,721
2003/04
Adult
Concs
Child
Group
OVP
U5s
Schools
Members
Free
GBH
Total
287,050
81,810
53,060
216,760
4,260
5,441
33,220
23,080
43,650
9,390
757,721
We know that approximately 6% come from the UK and 40% from overseas.
OVP: Overseas Visitor Pass
GBH: Great British Heritage Pass
4
■ dealing with commercial filmmakers and photographers
■ managing complaints and awkward situations
■ media relations.
showed that nearly 40% of all visitors were in the 16/34 age group
and 51% were in the 35/64 age
group and that over 50% were
from outside the United Kingdom.
MARKETING
THE FUTURE OF
STONEHENGE
Stonehenge is an instantly recognisable image which has become
associated with the public's
perception of the work of English
Heritage as an organisation.
Consequently, the Stonehenge
image is often employed to
promote other sites or services
within the organisation.
The central Marketing
Department of English Heritage
produces all the site specific
leaflets, posters and guide books
and organises national advertising.
Market research is undertaken to
obtain customers' views and perceptions of their visit to a site.
The latest visitor survey questionnaire was conducted at
Stonehenge in 2002 by the market
research agency First Report. It
The A303 and A344 surround
Stonehenge, bringing the noise,
pollution and visual intrusion of
traffic into this unique landscape.
It is also widely agreed that the
present visitor facilities,
(denounced in Parliament as “a
national disgrace”) need to be
improved.
To meet UNESCO requirements
English Heritage prepared a
Management Plan for the
Stonehenge World Heritage Site
(2000), which recommended significant improvements to roads,
visitor facilities and the landscape.
The Stonehenge Project is the
means by which English Heritage,
the National Trust and the
Highways Agency will put those
proposals into practice, transform-
ing the landscape of the World
Heritage Site and helping visitors
to enjoy and understand Stonehenge.
The A303 visible from Stonehenge
will be concealed in a bored tunnel, and the A344, which passes
only a few metres from the Heel
Stone, will be closed. The current
inadequate visitor facilities and car
park will be closed, leaving only
new underground toilets and operational facilities. Much of the surrounding area, owned by the
National Trust, will be converted
to permanent grassland.
A new, world class visitor centre
will be built outside the World
Heritage Site at Countess East,
near Amesbury, providing muchneeded interpretation, educational
facilities, a café, car and coach
parking and other amenities.
Exhibition galleries and multimedia presentations will tell the
story of the whole World Heritage
Site, from 10,000 years ago to the
present day. A land train will take
visitors through the landscape to
drop-off points nearer the Stone
The site as it is now,...
...and the site returned to its former landscape.
5
English Heritage Photo Library
The road and car park detract from the setting of Stonehenge.
Circle, and there will be additional
help for those less able to make
the final ten minute walk to the
Stones.
Visitors will be able to explore the
landscape and other monuments
of the World Heritage Site, but
even for those who concentrate on
the Stones themselves a typical
visit to Stonehenge and the visitor
centre will last from about two and
a half hours to half a day. Rather
than a short stop on the way to
other destinations such as Bath,
Devon and Cornwall, Stonehenge
will become a destination in its
own right. Visitors will be encouraged to spend longer in the surrounding South Wiltshire area, to
the benefit of the local tourism
trade and other businesses.
and the co-operation of all members
of staff can be the most rewarding
for students as they see the way
everything links together. Whatever
approach is decided upon, it is
important that students are well prepared before the actual visit takes
place so that the time on site is both
productive and enjoyable. When
designing activities, try using before,
during and after sections to the
assignment briefs to encourage planning, research, practical application
and evaluation. The following suggestions are intended to be useful to
both students and tutors, but students visiting as individuals need to
follow the same procedure for visiting as an ordinary member of the
public. Staff at the site are usually
busy and are not in a position to
answer lists of questions: this booklet has been produced to provide
the information available.
English Heritage and Stonehenge
link very well across all of the
mandatory units, which are generic
across all of the awarding bodies.
Stonehenge can also be used as the
study point for many of the optional
and additional units especially those
looking at heritage, arts and entertainment, and tourist attractions.
GCSE and GNVQ
Investigating the industry English
Heritage can be used as an example
of a Public Sector Organisation and
Stonehenge as an example of one of
its properties in the heritage component. The surrounding area has
other attractions which are of
national significance, and
Stonehenge could be one of a series
of places visited to assess the
attractions of the locality. This
could then provide the research for
a factfile for different types of
clients, for example, overseas visi-
Stonehenge provides excellent
material to support mandatory,
optional and key skill units at all
levels of vocational studies in
tourism. Assignments and activities
can be designed to meet the
requirements of individual elements
or alternatively, an integrated
approach can be adopted to bring
elements of several of the mandatory units together. This approach,
although needing careful planning
6
English Heritage Photo Library
LEARNING
OPPORTUNITIES
The underpass used by visitors to cross the road from the car park to the monument is decorated
with murals showing the story of Stonehenge and the surrounding area.
tors, disabled people, families and
business groups. An exhibition
using pictures and leaflets depicting
the area, perhaps in a collage format, could make an effective addition to the file. A different target
audience could be young children,
for whom a guide to the Stonehenge
landscape could be assembled.
Marketing Examine the promotional material used as part of the marketing of Stonehenge and the other
attractions visited. Use skills and
knowledge gained to design a T-shirt
for either an adult or a child that
could be sold in the shop. Present
your ideas outlining the marketing
principles behind it and how you
would launch it.
Customer service Look at and record
all the different ways that English
Heritage communicated with its visitors to Stonehenge, before a visit,
during it and afterwards. Devise a
points system for each. Do the
same for other attractions, and write
down your findings and recommendations in a report accompanied by
pictures and graphs.
Planning an assignment Bring all of
the mandatory units together by
organising a Stonehenge Awareness
Day. Key skills become the main
focus throughout each stage; planning (how to raise interest), research
(what to say and how to put it
across), organising (venue, promotion, display, hospitality, health and
safety) and running the event.
AVCE
At this level, a greater depth of
analysis is required and the organisation of English Heritage will be
more significant.
Tourism development Examine the
role of English Heritage and where
it fits into the structure and scale of
the leisure and tourism industry.
See additional resources for details
on how to get English Heritage's
free Tourism Facts. Discover the
factors leading to the development
of Stonehenge as a tourist attraction. Students could research present proposals for the road closures
and change of venue for visitor
facilities (perhaps writing newspaper articles) and investigate their
likely impact on the site and locality.
Investigating travel and tourism
Compare the organisational structure of English Heritage with that
of a private and a voluntary organisation. Devise a bulletin or fact-file
on careers in the heritage industry
for use in your institution.
Marketing Compare the marketing
techniques used by English
Heritage with those of a private or
voluntary organisation. Examine
the techniques used by Salisbury
District Council to promote
Stonehenge and other attractions in
the district. Using this information
and your knowledge of future
trends in the industry, devise a
marketing strategy to raise awareness of Stonehenge and the district
and encourage spending in the
town.
Customer service Carry out an
investigation into the customer service standards at Stonehenge and
use your findings to design a customer service training session that
could be used by the head custodiM5
an as part of in-house training.
Compare the shops and selling
techniques used at Stonehenge and
that of another attraction in the
area and make your conclusions
and recommendations in a short
report.
Investigating heritage tourism
Compare Stonehenge with another
heritage attraction. Funding of
staff, conservation, maintenance
and marketing is a central function
of English Heritage, and
Stonehenge does not depend on its
own admission, retail or other
profits. Look at key historical, conservation and interpretation features, and collect information on
marketing and promotion techniques. For more information on
the work and funding of English
Heritage look at the Annual
Report or Tourism Facts (See
Resources section on back page).
SWINDON
A338
20
M4
A345
BRISTOL
A4
A350
Bath
A37
A4
Avebury
Newbury
A338
A366
Frome
A34
STONEHENGE
A36
A30
3
Amesbury
A30
Old Sarum
A303
SALISBURY M3
A30
Wiltshire
Yeovil
A354
A37
Dorset
A350
A338
A36
4
M27
SOUTHAMPTON
Blandford
Forum
A31
BOURNEMOUTH
Dorchester
POOLE
7
MAKING A VISIT
Opening Hours
The following are correct for the
2003-04 season: please ring for
current times and admission prices
for adults, concessionary category
(senior citizens, unemployed and
students), children and families.
16 March –31 May: 9.30am 6pm daily.
1 June – 31 Aug: 9am – 7 pm
daily.
1 Sept – 15 Oct: 9.30am – 6pm
16 Oct –15 March: 9.30am – 4pm
daily.
Closed 24 –26 Dec and 1 Jan.
There is 10% discount for groups
of 11 or more.
Educational group visits are free
if booked at least 14 days in
advance by the tutor. Individual
students unaccompanied by a tutor
are not eligible for free admission.
Booking forms from:
Educational Bookings, English
Heritage Stonehenge, 1st Floor
Abbey Buildings, Abbey Square,
Amesbury, Wiltshire. SP4 7ES
Tel 01980 625368
There is a limit of 150 persons
admitted from any one school/college in the course of a day. It is
important to remember that,
unless prior arrangement has been
made for special, out-of-hours
access, visitors to Stonehenge do
not have access to the stones themselves.
Useful Contacts
Education Administrator: for information about bookings and the
site, Stonehenge Office, as above.
Tel: 01980 625368
Education Officer: for educational
advice on Stonehenge or any other
English Heritage historic site in
Wiltshire, Cornwall, Devon,
Dorset, Gloucestershire and
Somerset: English Heritage South
West Regional Offices, 29 Queen
Square, Bristol BS1 4ND.
Tel: 0117 975 0729
8
Stonehenge Monument: 01980
623108.
Salisbury Youth Hostel: 01722
327572
Location
OS map 184 ref: SU 123422
2 miles west of Amesbury on junction of A303 and A344/360. For
travel by bus: ring 01722 336855
for details. Nearest rail station is
Salisbury, 9.5 miles.
Facilities
Parking: for 123 cars, 8 coaches
with sections for disabled drivers,
taxis, motorcycles and bicycles.
Overflow car parking available during the summer months.
Access for disabled: yes
Site sales: books, souvenirs
Refreshments: counter service cafe
and picnic area.
Toilets: yes, and for disabled people and facilities for babies.
Additional resources
Anderson C, Planel, P, and Stone,
P, A Teachers's Handbook to
Stonehenge. English Heritage,
1996. ISBN 1-85074-312-6.
Brisbane, M and Wood, J,
A Future for Our Past? English
Heritage, 1995.
ISBN 1-85074-491-2.
Looks at the conservation, management and interpretation of our
national heritage.
English Heritage: Tourism Facts,
free from English Heritage
Customer Services Department.
PO Box 569, Swindon SN2 2YP
Tel: 01793 414910
English Heritage Annual Report and
Accounts English Heritage, 23
Savile Row, London W1X 1AB, or
see website.
The following books and videos
are aimed at GNVQ Leisure and
tourism studies tutors and students:
Giles, H, How to Plan Successful
Events, English Heritage, 1997.
ISBN 1-85074-666-21.
Stone, P, Skingley, B, Williams, A
and Ockelford, B, Health, Safety
and Security, English Heritage,
1998. ISBN 1-85074-661-3.
Videos
I am a Tourist! English Heritage,
1996. Shows how English
Heritage markets its sites and how
custodians welcome visitors.
Tackling Tourists, English Heritage,
1997. Examines customer care.
Ticket to the Past, English Heritage,
1997. Organising an event at a
historic property.
All English Heritage resources are
available by post from: English
Heritage, c/o Gillards, Trident
Works, Temple Cloud, Bristol.
BS39 5AZ
English Heritage Education
We aim to help teachers at all
levels to use the resource of the
historic environment. Each year,
we welcome half a million pupils,
students and teachers on free
educational group visits to over
400 historic sites in our care.We
also offer services to help access
the National Monuments Record,
our public archive. For free copies
of our Free Educational Visits
booklet, our Resources catalogue,
and Heritage Learning, our termly
magazine, contact:
English Heritage Education
Freepost 22 (WD214)
London
W1E 7EZ
Tel: 0870 333 1181
E-mail:
[email protected]
www.english-heritage.org.uk/education
Written by Peter Stone
Edited and produced by Liz Hollinshead
Designed by Michael J Richardson
Printed by Palladian Press, Colchester
© English Heritage 1998
Revised Amanda Feather 2005