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| Stone Formation Archive 1991 |
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 Stone Formations news, views, gallery and archive brought to you by Weird Wiltshire Introduction Latest News News Archive Stonehenge Stonehenge Project Stonehenge 360 Avebury Saviours Stones Village Solstice Wayland Smithy Long Barrow Woodhenge Gallery Summer Solstice Gallery 2002 Summer Solstice Gallery 2004 Postcards Wallpaper Links  |
First Published June 14 1991 THE Court of Appeal today paved the way for an eleventh hour bid to open Stonehenge for ancient religious ceremonies during next Friday's summer solstice. There have been objections that the site could again be invaded by hippies. Three judges in London set Wednesday next week as the date for an application by self-styled 'Pagan' Mr George Firsoff, backed by the Druids, for an order that the Government's historic monuments watchdog English Heritage must allow worshippers on to the site for the solstice. Lords Justices Parker, Nourse and Bingham adjourned Mr Firsoff's application for leave to challenge a High Court ruling last month in which a judge refused to order English Heritage to give worshippers access to the famous stones. English Heritage will be invited to attend the resumed hearing. Outside court, Mr Firsoff, 46, a housing association tenancy officer, of Church Road, Redfield, Bristol, said he anticipated that, if the go-ahead was given for the planned ceremony, 'hundreds rather than thousands' would attend. He said there were two periods of worship during the solstice - one at 10.14 on the evening of June 21, when the astronomical solstice occurred, and the other at dawn the following morning. He did not anticipate problems if the site was opened for worshippers to file past the stones and the event was supervised. The Druids vice-president, Mr Rollo Maughfling, was in court today. He confirmed that the Druids with 30,000 members throughout the country, were backing the court move and he saw no reason why the ceremony could not be properly supervised and kept trouble free. In past years, there have been violent clashes between police and 'New Age Travellers' making their annual pilgrimage to the stones. Back to 1991 index |
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