England’s Return to the Stone Age

Stonehenge has long drawn pilgrims on sacred days. Now a new visitors center has transformed the tradition in time for the summer solstice on June 21. Thousands of revelers—including caped druids, antler-wearing poets, and raggedy mummers-descend on the ancient stones to greet the year’s longest day. It’s one of few occasions when people are allowed to stand inside the circle.
In this ritual bridging the millennia, devotees can glimpse the sun rising behind the famed Heel Stone (a single slab in the prehistoric avenue beside the stones). This year, Stonehenge crowds will find restored dignity thanks to sweeping grassland and uninterrupted views of what Siegfried Sassoon called “the roofless past.” The northern road that sliced through the historic land is gone, as are the shabby welcome facilities. Located a discreet 1.5 miles from the site, the canopied visitors center features an aerial video map as well as a 360-degree panorama that lets travelers “stand in the stones” any time of year and watch the seasons and centuries roll by. “Within the stones you become distinctly aware that you’re in the presence of Neolithic people,” says archaeologist and author Francis Pryor. “You catch yourself looking over your shoulder, thinking someone’s standing beside you-but it’s a bluestone. It’s quite eerie.” -JULIANA GILLING