I’m afraid I spent too long on your generous invitation to think the unthinkable, and was just polishing my proposal for abandoning the Stonehenge visitor centre when your colleague Danny Alexander beat me to it.
Nevertheless, I thought a few ideas to flesh out this imaginative move might be helpful.
It would be absurdly expensive, and therefore counter-productive, to demolish and remove the stones, so my first thought was simply to fill in the underpass, electrify the perimeter fence, and invite a sensitively designed commercial development of the present car park, including a brasserie with a prime view of the stones.
However, a recent visit to Troy inspired what must be a better way of proceeding.
Mustafa Askin, who was born nearby, told me of a large Roman mosaic near where he played in the ruins as a child – of course it was much later than the USP Homeric period and therefore confusingly at variance with the core heritage values of the site. The mosaic has now been completely removed by visitors, without any cost to the heritage authorities.
I suddenly remembered that early visitors to Stonehenge could buy hammers and chisels in Amesbury to extract their own souvenirs. Reviving this genuine heritage tradition would generate revenue while providing the ultimate solution for the site. The present ticket booth and audio guide racks can easily be adapted to chisel hire.
As you know, many of the bits and bobs from Stonehenge were placed in the Wiltshire Heritage Museum in Devizes. That museum is in a very fine building, in a town which glaringly lacks boutique hotel provision.
It would clearly be crass – and indeed commercially foolish – not to acknowledge this rich cultural heritage, so my initial thought is that an elegantly designed and beautifully lit vitrine containing some of the more appealing artefacts could be a showstopping feature of the cafe bar.
Best of luck, I shall be in touch soon with my outline thoughts for the V&A combined casino, museum, and pound shop in Blackpool.
Nevertheless, I thought a few ideas to flesh out this imaginative move might be helpful.
It would be absurdly expensive, and therefore counter-productive, to demolish and remove the stones, so my first thought was simply to fill in the underpass, electrify the perimeter fence, and invite a sensitively designed commercial development of the present car park, including a brasserie with a prime view of the stones.
However, a recent visit to Troy inspired what must be a better way of proceeding.
Mustafa Askin, who was born nearby, told me of a large Roman mosaic near where he played in the ruins as a child – of course it was much later than the USP Homeric period and therefore confusingly at variance with the core heritage values of the site. The mosaic has now been completely removed by visitors, without any cost to the heritage authorities.
I suddenly remembered that early visitors to Stonehenge could buy hammers and chisels in Amesbury to extract their own souvenirs. Reviving this genuine heritage tradition would generate revenue while providing the ultimate solution for the site. The present ticket booth and audio guide racks can easily be adapted to chisel hire.
As you know, many of the bits and bobs from Stonehenge were placed in the Wiltshire Heritage Museum in Devizes. That museum is in a very fine building, in a town which glaringly lacks boutique hotel provision.
It would clearly be crass – and indeed commercially foolish – not to acknowledge this rich cultural heritage, so my initial thought is that an elegantly designed and beautifully lit vitrine containing some of the more appealing artefacts could be a showstopping feature of the cafe bar.
Best of luck, I shall be in touch soon with my outline thoughts for the V&A combined casino, museum, and pound shop in Blackpool.
