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New: Article on the Medieval minsters of Beverley, Rippon and York, submitted by Stuart Sharp.
We now have an RSS feed so you can stay up to date with the latest news here.
We've added lots more images. Check out the new photos on our Roman history site, such as Hadrian's Wall. Great new photos of Stonehenge and Avebury are on megalithic sites
Our castles pictures and notes have been updated with Farleigh Hungerford Castle. A full list of the historical galleries we have on line is also available now.
There are many hundreds of remnants of known pre-Celtic sites throughout the British Isles, and many more not yet identified or excavated. A useful web resource to help you find sites near you is The Megalith Map http://www.megalith.ukf.net/. It shows the location of every known prehistoric site in Britain.
The best-known sites are always well-worth a visit. However, you may find you come away from a visit to an obscure site with a greater sense of what pre-Celtic life was really like.
Stonehenge is the best-known pre-historic site in the world, of course, but many people are disappointed after a visit. This has much to do with the current atmosphere. The recent preservation efforts seem to have stolen most of its natural charm for the visitor. It could be seen as car park and visitor centre with a monument attached. The plans for "improving" it further seem even less appealing, as they would move the road and might take away the opportunity to experience the breathtaking impact of driving over the top of a rise and seeing Stonehenge spread before you against the skyline. Walking around the outside of the central circle in a roped off walkway is probably not conducive to reflection an anything except the fact that it has become English Heritage's cash cow. Which is fair enough, if it is helping to preserve many other historic sites and buildings
It is still a compulsory visit. It is more than worth a journey, or several dozen visits, preferably at different times of the year at various times of the day. A focus for any number of crackpot beliefs, often including the beliefs of respectable archaelogists. Unfortunately, the layout of Stonehenge itself is partly the creation of people in Georgian and Victorian times who set stones in what they assumed to be their right places.
There are many prehistoric sites in the area immediately around Stonehenge, including the so-called "cursus" and any number of barrows. Within about 20 miles in any direction, there are so many more megalithic and Celtic and Roman sites that it is comical.
Etrusia is in the process of compiling a list of national events. If you are organising, supporting, publicising or simply know of an event related to any part of the UK history then let us know and we will add it to our list.