Re: Stonehenge road closure approved | Forum

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Stonehenge road closure approved

Mustard Nov 2, 2011 10:49:39

Replying to nigelswift

nigelswift wrote:

Rhiannon wrote:

A cynic writes: ah yes you won't be able to drive past any more. Meaning you won't be able to drive past gawking at it for free. Slap a gate up at Airman's Corner and you can charge everyone going anywhere near the place. No more happy moments stolen parking on a verge down the road, running back and squashing your face against the links of the fence.

Might not be like that. But frankly it wouldn't surprise me hugely.

Tell your cynic friend yeah, she’s right, there’ll be no more “happy moments stolen parking on a verge down the road, running back and squashing your face against the links of the fence” as the two things that have been made very clear are (a.) cars will be banned and (b.) the big chain link fence will be removed.

But but but here's a question. If you can wander round on foot at any time does that mean you can go inside the stones at any time? Anyone know? And if you can't, what would stop you?

I've been wondering this for ages. With no fence, it's hard to see how they'll stop people accessing the monument on foot. And if they do, where exactly are they going to draw the line? Without a fence, at what point will you cross over into permissive/non-permissive areas? Will access only be allowed during the usual hours of opening, and again, how would that be enforced?

IIRC, the original plan was to allow free access to pedestrians (but that was back when the 303 was also going to be buried, so accessing the monument on foot would presumably have been even more difficult).

Rhiannon Nov 2, 2011 11:08:29

Replying to Mustard

24 hour security guards with big dogs and machine guns. Frowning at you. Especially anyone with long hair who looks like they could do with a wash.

Orrr maybe it'll look like there's no fence, but actually there'll be a system of lasers, so you can get so close, but if you cross the invisible line you'll be zapped - unless you're carrying a special tag that they give you at the visitors centre when you hand over your credit card of course.

Or land mines, the position of which are only apparent if you're wearing the special goggles they give you at the visitors centre etc.

Or, they'll give you something special to wear when you pay your money - a fluorescent druid's cape or something similarly distinctive. And then anyone not wearing one but being near the stones will be shamed by social pressure not to approach any further.

Shall I email EH with my suggestions? They might give me some money if they take one of them up.

nigelswift Nov 2, 2011 11:14:49

Replying to Mustard

I do try to love EH, honest, but they make it hard. They have this lovely idyllic video of the stones in splendid isolation and re-united with the landscape with both the A344 and the chain link fence gone but they say not a word about the implications of that and what must concern people – if the big fence is going then is there or isn’t there freedom to access the stones? Is it credible they’ve got this far and haven’t decided? Or is it that they have decided but are frit to say? It has to be one or the other.

Personally I think they’ll HAVE to restrict access because of erosion and security issues and that means fences, hopefully lower ones and hopefully further away. But why don’t they just say so to the taxpayers that pay their wages?