Culture

UK: Stonehenge Bypass Update

By |

WILTSHIRE, England – Arguably the UK’s most famous monument, Stonehenge has undergone a roller coaster century since it passed into public ownership in 1918. With a controversial new visitor centre and an even more controversial plan for the surrounding landscape, the henge is rarely out of South Western news at the moment. Let’s take an overview of the project to date. In 1915, a barrister named Cecil Chubb attended an auction in Salisbury, allegedly planning to bid for a pair of curtains. He came out of the auction with Stonehenge, having paid £6,600 for it (around £474K in sterling today).

Druids

UK: Pagans arrested over Stonehenge trespass [correction]

By |

Correction: TWH incorrectly identified Angel Grace as a Witch in an earlier version of this story. She is actually a Druid and music bard, and we have corrected the article to reflect this. TWH apologizes for any confusion this may have caused. 

SALISBURY, England – Stonehenge has been back in the news recently with the arrest of three pagan women who are said to have breached access restrictions to the sacred site. Angela Grace, a Druid and bard, Maryam Halcrow, and Lisa Mead, who also identifies as a Druid, were found guilty of entering the site without reasonable excuse. All have received 6-month conditional discharges.

News

Saga of Arthur’s Tintagel takes a new twist

By |

An archaeological dig at the Tintagel heritage site in Cornwall, South West England, has uncovered a complex of well-constructed buildings dating to the 5th or 6th century that could have been a royal palace – fuelling age-old speculation that the area was the seat of King Arthur. In Britain’s first significant find from the Dark Ages, the team unearthed one structure with walls a metre-thick and artefacts that indicate a high and widespread level of trade. Analysis of artefacts shows the inhabitants enjoyed olive oil from the Greek Aegean and wine from Western Turkey. They ate off of plates and bowls that came from what is now Tunisia in North Africa. These details suggest that the inhabitants were of high status. Whoever lived there is thought to have been the ruler of the Dunmonnia tribe, which occupied the entire South West region of England at the time, including Cornwall.