What Makes Stonehenge Special to us?
Stonehenge is one of the most ancient monuments in the world. Archaelogical evidence indicates that construction first began on the site perhaps even as early as 3100 BC, being used as a place of burial from that time. What marked that specific location, an unremarkable stretch of green, far from any sea or mountains, worthy of such reverence remains a mystery. But what is clear, however, is that people kept coming back. Studies into that period and the use of long barrows suggest that the people then had far different views towards death than we do today. Disturbance in burial sites tell us that they handled their dead, revisiting cherished loved ones again and again after they had gone. Perhaps it is not surprising that such strong emotion invested some supra natural energy into the land.
Today tourists can visit the site knowing that they earth they tread was first worn smooth generations ago, by their distant ancestors. On a wet, misty day, one can feel the centuries ebb away, which makes one wonder; what cause can have been so great, what deity can have been so revered as to merit this edifice? What love could have been so ardent that men felt the need to drag stone from so far away?
But what is the most astonishing about Stonehenge is that the masses are still drawn to it. The crowds at Solstice, the travellers who make pilgrimage, the druids who walk the long road to the Plain, these peoples stand as testament to the power of Stonehenge.
Today tourists can visit the site knowing that they earth they tread was first worn smooth generations ago, by their distant ancestors. On a wet, misty day, one can feel the centuries ebb away, which makes one wonder; what cause can have been so great, what deity can have been so revered as to merit this edifice? What love could have been so ardent that men felt the need to drag stone from so far away?
But what is the most astonishing about Stonehenge is that the masses are still drawn to it. The crowds at Solstice, the travellers who make pilgrimage, the druids who walk the long road to the Plain, these peoples stand as testament to the power of Stonehenge.
Stonehenge Acrostic Poem - Alice Kiff
Spiritual history is wrapped up in each stone
The stones tell stories of druids and ancient Britain
One of the oldest stone structures in Britain which we can still see today
Neolithic artefacts have been excavated from the site.
Effort and endurance are shown in the majestic pattern of the stones.
Heritage site which is a symbol of our country’s rich history
Erosion has changed the way the stones are seen today.
National Trust land surrounding it gives a lush and beautiful backdrop
Groups of strong workers hauled the rocks across the country thousands of years ago
Epic tales and folklore surround the mystical monument.
Our school song
In the far forgotten days when the dawn was breaking
And the hearts and minds of men out of sleep were waking;
Lo, our fathers set a sign on the Plain that bred us,
And the strength that rais’d Stonehenge, one step onward led us.
Silver yet the five streams flow
Fails the green Plain never
As from age to age we go
Onward, onward ever.
Came the time when Sarum’s sons builded for God’s glory
Gave in slender, gleaming spire aspirations story.
And the love that wrought in stone by the streams that bred us,
Strove not for an age alone-still it onward led us!
Silver yet the five streams flow
Fails the green Plain never
As from age to age we go
Onward, onward ever.
Stronger than the storm-swept stones sounds the call of duty.
Higher than the sun-kissed spire leads the quest for beauty.
To this school the task has come, caught our youth and laughter,
That a greater heritage we bequeath hereafter.
Silver yet the five streams flow
Fails the green Plain never
As from age to age we go
Onward, onward ever.
Our school song tells us to be strong like the men who built Stonehenge and to value our past and be proud of Stonehenge. It says about being led onward by the builders of Stonehenge to show us the way. When students leave the school they always remember the school song and may even use Stonehenge as a motivator.
Stonehenge represents so much for so many people, and it's image is constantly moving forward; from the work that English Heritage do to preserve it to the way people from around the world think of it and the way the opinions they have are so different. We see the stone circle as something that helps to define the school, a point of interest and a beautiful monument, steeped in mystery with so much left to discover and so much that we can never know.
And the hearts and minds of men out of sleep were waking;
Lo, our fathers set a sign on the Plain that bred us,
And the strength that rais’d Stonehenge, one step onward led us.
Silver yet the five streams flow
Fails the green Plain never
As from age to age we go
Onward, onward ever.
Came the time when Sarum’s sons builded for God’s glory
Gave in slender, gleaming spire aspirations story.
And the love that wrought in stone by the streams that bred us,
Strove not for an age alone-still it onward led us!
Silver yet the five streams flow
Fails the green Plain never
As from age to age we go
Onward, onward ever.
Stronger than the storm-swept stones sounds the call of duty.
Higher than the sun-kissed spire leads the quest for beauty.
To this school the task has come, caught our youth and laughter,
That a greater heritage we bequeath hereafter.
Silver yet the five streams flow
Fails the green Plain never
As from age to age we go
Onward, onward ever.
Our school song tells us to be strong like the men who built Stonehenge and to value our past and be proud of Stonehenge. It says about being led onward by the builders of Stonehenge to show us the way. When students leave the school they always remember the school song and may even use Stonehenge as a motivator.
Stonehenge represents so much for so many people, and it's image is constantly moving forward; from the work that English Heritage do to preserve it to the way people from around the world think of it and the way the opinions they have are so different. We see the stone circle as something that helps to define the school, a point of interest and a beautiful monument, steeped in mystery with so much left to discover and so much that we can never know.