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| Stone Formation Archive 1990 |
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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 on September 27, 1990 ENGLISH Heritage officials are considering new security measure at Stonehenge after the monument was vandalised during the autumn equinox. Two gashes and several marks were gouged into the Great Horseshoe on Sunday morning when about 250 travellers were celebrating daybreak. Police intended to keep the hippies away from the stones until the usual tourist opening hours, but they managed to scale the fences. The police decided not to try and stop them. Twenty-four English Heritage security guards were manning the stones but failed to notice the vandals. "It is a large area and fairly impossible to chase people out unless you have an awful lot of police," said a spokeswoman for the conservation group. "The situation could have been violent if an attempt was made to chase them out, so it was decided it was better to let them do whatever they needed to do." English Heritage, which manages the 4,500-year-old stone circle on behalf of the nation, has not decided what measures should be taken to stop vandals in future. But the spokeswoman said proper site management was essential. "It is not a question of punishing anyone over this but trying to work out a satisfactory arrangement. "This underlines the need for an orderly event which some people are beginning to accept and some are not. We have never been opposed to having an orderly event." Rollo Maughfling, a scribe to the Grand Council of Druids, was at Stonehenge on Sunday morning. "The atmosphere was very friendly and good humoured," he said."We decided not to go over the fence but to ask permission to get closer. "They wouldn't let us even though the travellers were already in so we joined hands on the pavement and had our own celebration there." Back to 1990 index |
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