Category Archives for Uncategorized

Catching Up: Small Henges and Some News–Welcome, Blokes and Sheilas!

One of Kyle van Oldeniel’s excellent small Stonehenges

We have gotten ourselves into a bit of  a pickle (hmmm….have we ever posted a picklehenge?). We have let things go for so long that we have enough henges and henging news to fill five or more posts, even with multiple henges per post. We were going to blame it on the interns, who are always messaging away on the expensive smart phones their parents bought them, but as long as we are making people up, why not blame it on our evil nemesis, who hates Stonehenge replicas and wants to end Clonehenge forever. Yeah, that’s it–we TRY to post but he foils us at every turn!

But apparently we have vanquished him, because here we are at long last! The mini-Stonehenge above was created by Kyle van Oldeniel, who lives on the west coast of Scotland. He has created this and a number of other exquisite little henges, like small art works expressing his longing for the mystery, timelessness, and connection to the earth that Stonehenge represents. He has posted more in the Henge Collective group on Facebook. Too nice for our blog, actually! Thank you, Mr. van Oldeniel–well done.

Jumper (or sweater) henge, created for the birthday of Simon Burrow

The picture above was posted to the Clonehenge group on Facebook by none other than friend of the blog Simon Burrow. It reminds us a little of the clothes henge created by Markus Georg. This may not look like much, but it is undeniably eccentric in conception and unique in the henging world for its casual laundry-pile styling and variations in colour and patterns. We do not recall seeing striped or flowered stones in a henge before! What it lacks in accuracy it makes up for in, well, in… thingy! Well done! Ish.

Flip-flop Henge by Liz Smith Yeats

And as long as we are looking at henges made of things we wear, here is Flip-flop Henge as created and posted by Liz Smith Yeats on the Clonehenge Facebook group, where there is much more up-to-date henging news and pictures than you’ll find on the blog, with the advantage of not having to read our dreadful don’t-you-think-we’re-funny commentary! It’s not that we’re desperate to have you join the group, it’s just that if you are actually interested in henging and hengers, you can keep up despite our troubles with our intern/nemesis/broken hands/dial-up/IE6, pet dragons, etc.

At any rate, Ms. Yeats (any relation?!) says, “Hoping you find this a worthy effort. The backstory is that I find Flip-Flops to be loathsome and will stop at nothing to remove them from the realms of footwear.”

Indeed, Ms. Yeats, we find it worthy! And creating a Stonehenge replica out of dodgy footwear is solidly in the spirit of Clonehenge!

We have many more small henges to post when our interns stop messaging their friends and annihilate our nemesis! And download Chrome. And start taking the dragons out for their daily rides so they’re too tired to keep us from posting. Etcetera. And there are at least two temporary large henges to post: that Basshenge from Burning Man that we posted about in its planning stages, and the Henge Collective’s wood henge from the Audio Soup festival.

Also, there continues to be news: links to Clonehenge have been posted on the website of Current Archaeology Magazine (for a while) as well as our being mentioned in a radio show to be broadcast in Australia on Sunday, 9 September. We learned that the decision has been made, sadly, to film parts of Thor: the Dark World at Stonehenge instead of building one. We would have liked to see what they came up with! And we learned that in Roman Polanski’s movie Tess, a replica was used instead of the real thing! We have no pictures yet, but the interns are working on it!

If you live in Oz and this is your first look at Clonehenge, we have one word for you: Esperance! One of the finest recent additions to the world of Stonehenge replicas. You can be proud.

This post has exceeded recommended dosages, so, until next time, mates, happy henging!

Barbury Horse Trials: Stonehenge (ish) of Fallen Beech

Photo © Andy Hooper for the Mail Online

Don’t bother to look at the horse. Ignore the young woman with her dress flying up provocatively in the back. Yes, the important part of this picture is the trilithons! Sent in by alert reader, Welsh academic, shaman and author Mike Williams (we are honoured, sir), this Wiltshire setup, referred to as the Stonehenge Jump, was featured here once before, but we had no inkling that it was still being used until this morning. Be sure to have a look at this link to the article accompanying the picture above, especially the video part way down the page. Surprised they didn’t use the hymn Jerusalem as a background!

A couple of weeks ago, we were shown a picture of a recent crop circle in Wiltshire and all we could look at was the Stonehenge-like thing near it. That mystery appears to be solved–it was this circle of trilithons. We love when little mysteries solve themselves!

At any rate, we have already scored this at 5 ½ druids back in 2009. Seems right. The Daily Mail Online article says, “The Stonehenge jump, made from fallen beech, is the stand-out feature of the Barbury International, which will be staged on Marlborough Downs, Wiltshire, between June 28 and July 1.”

It was a lead-up to the Olympics, which also had Stonehenge jumps. It is too bad that crazy golf isn’t an Olympic sport. We could have been seeing Stonehenges all over the place during the games! At least Jeremy Deller’s wonderful bouncy Stonehenge is still touring. And elsewhere people are busy building Stonehenge replicas hoping to have it finished by winter solstice. We know the henge-oraks (combination of henge and anorak, our new word for the day! The thrill of it.) are out there somewhere and we look forward to hearing about their creations.

In other news, we hear a rumour that Achill Henge is bringing in enough money to give the good people of County Mayo pause. Is there yet hope that it will be permitted to stand? Oh, the tension, beauty and excitement of the world of Stonehenge replicas! One can hardly bear it sometimes. Other times one has a cup of tea and a biscuit.

Wait. What’s that you say? The horse is painted? Why so it is. We hadn’t noticed. Let’s hope the girl didn’t get any of that chalk on her dress. Or anywhere else. Messy business, these horse events! Until next time, gentle readers, happy henging!

They Nicked Our Name, But It’s Worth It: Achill Henge on the Radio!

Just a picture of their page–but click through for the audio

This week we were alerted to an Irish radio documentary about Achill Henge, one name for an, some say, illegal construction on an island off Ireland, as our regular readers know. We have been yammering on and about Achill (pronounced ACK-il, not AY-chill) Henge since its inception, and while we respect the rights of people to decide what is to be permitted on their common land, we will be a bit sad if and when the builder, one Joe McNamara, has to take it down.

Meanwhile, here is a link to this brilliant radio documentary, brilliantly entitled Clonehenge ! And no, we do not say we like it solely because everything sounds better and smarter when said in an Irish accent (as we were told on our mothers’ knee). Or because anything about a Stonehenge replica is more interesting to us than anything that is not about a Stonehenge replica. Well, maybe a bit. Of each.

Still, how could we not like it when there’s this conversation:

“I’ve been to Stonehenge and it didn’t impress me. But this impressed me.” “You’re only saying that ’cause you’re Irish.” “Absolutely!” “If Stonehenge was up the road, you’d be sayin’ it’s great.” “Yes, I would.” Laughter.

It also brings up some points worth mentioning. McNamara was stopped before he ever got to complete Achill Henge. No one knows what was meant to go in the center or if there was more to it. We may never know. *we sigh and make puppy eyes at the planning board*

Also it mentions the archaeo-acoustic research that was done at Maryhill, Washington replica, saying that the Maryhill replica is a bit rough, or something to that effect. We agree and have often thought that archaeo-acoustic research at Maryhill can hardly be relevant to the acoustics at the real Stonehenge–the “stones” at the Washington replica are so differently shaped, proportioned, and textured, and of course of a completely different material. Don’t all of those factors affect acoustics? Did those researchers just want funding to visit the Pacific Northwest?*

But best of all, unlike this post, the radio documentary is quite entertaining and leaves one with a smile. And there is a lovely gallery of pictures to click through, which we would have nicked and posted here if we knew how. Our thanks to its creator, Ronan Kelly. If we could, we would hire him to be on the Clonehenge, the Series, the one where we visit a Stonehenge replica per week, discuss it and interview visitors. No, we don’t have all of the details worked out just yet. Or the funding. But it is real n our minds and that’s what counts!

And, hey, Joe McNamara, we salute you. Don’t stop now! Until next time, friends, happy henging!

* So do we! But free tickets to visit Achill Henge will be even more eagerly accepted!

P.S.: We have relearned how to spell “nicked” after aliens abducted us and removed the spelling from our memory. Someone ought to do something about those pesky things!

GoStonehengeTour: Kickstarting the Dream of the Mobile Foamhenge!

from the Stonehenge: the American Tour Facebook page

This is a blog dedicated to the idea of the Stonehenge replica and its endless variations, not because we think Stonehenge replicas are a good idea–if that were true, this would be a serious blog–but on the contrary because we think the whole idea is by its very nature ridiculous and in some hard-to-define way, unrelentingly humourous.* People just can’t help themselves!

That said, there is, of course, nothing funny about an exact replica of Stonehenge made of foam being loaded onto an eighteen-wheeler and carted around North America so people can experience Stonehenge without having to meet any English people or accidentally photograph sheep. Well, we’re glad you don’t find it funny, because an enterprising group of students from Tallahassee has created a Kickstarter–an internet method of generating contributions from small but interesting projects–to do exactly that. Here is part of the pitch on their Kickstarter page:

“A monument of such amazing wonder and beauty should be seen by as many people as possible, don’t you think? However, visiting Stonehenge is much harder than it seems, and only a limited number of people WORLDWIDE see it each year, and even then, only a fraction of those people purchase the special access pass which is required to let them walk among the stones. Imagine all the hassle that goes into seeing this epic monument. Now, imagine just having to travel to a museum near you to walk amongst its legendary beauty.”

Nothing humourous there! Americans will be able to travel a short distance, walk among the foam stones, experience 4000 years of history, and not handle any of that funny money! Where they are getting the 4000-year-old foam, we are not certain, but there is still time for the details to be ironed out.

Another page announces: “We are planning five festivals to celebrate the exhibit, each one will involve several days of celebration, with camping, eating, music, art exhibits, dancing, all night fires, staged pagan rituals, and the whole druid party thing.” Splendid.

We were, of course, bemused to see their statement that it would be the “first life-size replica”. Hello, have we met?** It is remarkable how often we see this claim, in the face of all evidence to the contrary, and no doubt whoever is doing the Clonehenge blog hundreds of years from now (bless their semi-organic hearts) will see the same thing–no one ever checks first! The claim that it will be the world’s most accurate replica, however, is welcome. Make it so!

Stonehenge: the American Tour, GoStonehengeTour, and one or two other names are used, but they are all the same project. Visit their Facebook page! Pledge money! Make this a reality, gentle hengeophiles! A pledge to this Kickstarter is a vote for Stonehenge, or a vote for absurdity. Either way, we all win!

[We will not even attempt to address the motto: “If we build it, will you come?”]

In the past year, we have seen a Stonehenge replica built of recycled stones in Australia, a guerilla replica, for which a man was arrested, built in Ireland, a full-sized inflatable Stonehenge touring the UK, a group formed to build henges, more than one wonderful cakehenge, and numerous others of various natures. What next? Only the Stonehenge brain virus knows for sure! Stay tuned, and happy henging!

* Unlike our posts.

** Maryhill, Washington’s replica springs to mind, as well as the one in Montana, Esperance Australia’s replica, and the remarkable but now defunct BBC Foamhenge. There may be others on the List of Permanent Replicas.

Olympic Horse Hurdle Henge: Has the Empire Fallen So Far?!

Olympic horse event Stonehenge

This is not a post so much as an alert. Hengefinder General (E class) Glastonbury’s keen eye noticed these hurdles at one of the Olympic horse events.

I think we can say with some confidence that this is not where your Olympic millions have gone. Still, we post Stonehenge replicas, so here it is!

Another view, taken from the television

We knew there would be Stonehenge replicas connected with the Olympic summer in England. We were tickled with the bouncy Stonehenge, disappointed with the choice of Glastonbury Tor for the opening ceremony. Now we have these.  The stones are very squared off, of wrong proportions (too thin for their height), painted like a secondary school theatre set, and of course, set up like horse hurdles. A little pathetic, but another sign of the hengemania seizing the world!

Our thanks to Pete Glastonbury for noticing these and taking the pictures from the telly. We’re glad that King of the Mountain is not an Olympic sport. We shudder to imagine the muddy little Silbury Hill replica they might have produced!

And until next time, happy henging!

A Subjective Perspective on the Henge Collective! Or, Clonehenge the Doggerel!

photo from the Henge Collective Facebook page, used with permission

And now we present: Clonehenge the Doggerel!

We have decided it is time
To do a Clonehenge post in rhyme.
But what fine henge
Should be the victim
Of this arbitrary dictum?
No henge! Instead it’s our objective
To tell you of–the Henge Collective!

Some friends went up to Blackford Hill– Well, maybe first they stopped at Tesco– Some sunshine had dispersed the chill, So they resolved to dine alfresco. One found two stones and put them upright, A lintel added over top, Creating a faux sacred stone site. Since then they’ve found it hard to stop. Henge building now their prime directive–They have become the Henge Collective!

Now people join from far and wide, Their hope to fill the world with henges, Some are narrow and some wide, Some quite tall , some low like benges. [hmm… this isn’t going as well as we hoped!] They’re invited in to build, at music festivals and gardens, Henges by which all are thrilled, except if they prefer a Tardis. [Drat!  Doesn’t quite work, we know, but it’s a rule of thumb that mentioning a Tardis can improve anything…] This post is proving quite defective, but before you hurl invective, we will return to our objective, and hail once more–the Henge Collective!

There. Well. That’s done, then. Sort of. Waiting for the applause to fade.

Rufus T. Firefly, a founding member of the Henge Collective tells us:  “Just to let you know, The Henge Collective have been invited to a music festival. They want us to build one for them.” That would be the  Audio Soup Festival, in case you want to stop by.

For more on the Henge Collective and its activities, visit the group at its Facebook group, which, sadly, is much larger than the Clonehenge group! They are based in Scotland, but welcome members from around the world.

In other news, please consider supporting the US Stonehenge Tour Kickstarter. A post on this will follow. Soon. Ish.

Also, if you have been dragged to Great Britain for some kind of sporting event and sport is not your passion so you are considering a visit to Stonehenge, remember the Stonehenge Guide for iPad, written by none other than Mr. Pete Glastonbury, for whom no superlative (or expletive) is sufficient! Few people know Stonehenge and its context and history as well as he does, and his guide gives new perspectives to the old monument. See comment on the previous post for a review.

Sorry it has taken us so long to post. Blame it on the Olympic Committee. It’s bound to be their fault somehow! And to all of our lovely readers, happy henging! (Should henging be an Olympic event? Discuss!)

Bouncy Bouncy Druids, and a Stonehenge Guide You Must All Buy!

bouncy bouncy bouncy bouncy bouncy bouncy bouncy bouncy bouncy druids

As we are sure you realise, every post on the Clonehenge blog is tested and retested on animals. (Don’t worry, scientists carefully select for that purpose only individual animals that no one likes, ones that tell dull family stories over and over, and who talk over you whenever you try to say something especially witty.) Once a post is confirmed as safe, the papers have to be submitted to the appropriate ministries for approval and sometimes they are sent to a committee, debated, and then brought before Parliament for a full debate. Needless to say, all of this takes time, which means that despite the fact that we write posts very quickly and very often, you see new posts only rarely.

However today we have asked for and received an executive edict expediting approval of this post. It was incredibly important for you to see and hear the above video, and also for you to be notified of the release of the new Stonehenge Guide for iPad.

First, we should explain the video. Unfortunately we have no idea who this Mitch Benn bloke is, so all we can say is: this video concerning Jeremy Deller’s inflatable Stonehenge replica which is called Sacrilege and is now touring the UK, is in the Clonehenge spirit and receives the Clonehenge Seal of Approval. The blow-up sheep are also backed by Clonehenge, to be sent in aid packages to Scotland and New Zealand to ease the pressures on the livestock there!

As for the Stonehenge Guide for iPad, we are pleased to announce that it was written and produced by none other than Hengefinder General Extraordinaire Mr. Pete Glastonbury! Few if any people have the background in both science and lore concerning Stonehenge that Mr. Glastonbury can boast. The iTunes preview reads: “A Visitors Guide to Stonehenge for the first time visitor showing the nearby monuments and the latest archaeological excavations. A history of the site is shown in old prints and photographs showing its reconstruction. Interactive 360 panoramas show the nearby monuments in relation to Stonehenge.”

Of course they are modestly avoiding the Absolute Greatest Thing about this guide, but we are not afraid to speak out! The Stonehenge Guide for iPad MENTIONS CLONEHENGE!!!!1!! Or so we are told. We actually don’t have an iPad ourselves. We could afford hundreds, of course, but last year Steve Jobs gave us this spherical iPad he made only two of, one for us and one for his alien overlords, so we haven’t bothered to get a regular one. However, this guide was not configured for iSphere, so if someone could take a screenshot of the Clonehenge mention and post it where we can see it, we would be much obliged. Remember, English Heritage is monitoring sales of this Stonehenge guide, and if insufficient interest is shown, they will go forward with plans to bulldoze Stonehenge to make room for a state-of-the-art Walmart. So buy three! Buy ten! They don’t take up much room.

Before we go, we must mention that the video link above was provided to us by Sylvia MacPuss of the Henge Collective. The Henge Collective is the topic of a Clonehenge post now working its way though committee, and if the Tories don’t drag their feet, we should have that special rhyming post called The Henge Collective Inaugurates Clonehenge: The Musical! by September. Earlier if we actually start working on it!

Keep dry (or keep cool if you are Stateside) and happy henging!

Solstice Again, Innit? Part the Second!

Recreation of Stonehenge made from car parts; PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo

Well, solstice is actually about over and we still haven’t produced the promised second post. We will hesitate no longer in the dubbing of our other Hengefinder General Extraordinaire: HGE Matt Penny, perpetrator, as always, of the supercalifragilistic website, Salisbury and Stonehenge dot Net. We have lost track of all of the henges and replicas he has alerted us to over the millennia during which we have been posting on the Clonehenge blog, but they have been numerous and as in the case of HGE Glastonbury, fascinating.

The one pictured above, entitled Citihenge, has, as far as we know, the honour of being the first corporately-named henge (but not as you may see at the end of this post, the only automobile henge). Not the first one built for advertising–Autohenge in Canada may hold that title. But the first, perhaps of many to come, that are named directly for a company, as advertisement. Think of it, in a few years not only replicas but even Stonehenge itself may have a corporate label: Barclay’s Bank Stonehenge, for example, or perhaps preferably, the Crawford Bourbon Biscuit Stonehenge. Oh brave new world!!

But back to Citihenge. Here is a video afforded to us by Hengefinder Apprentice Karl Dodd. Citihenge, ŠKODA advertisement video (Who is that man in the video and why is he dressed like Doctor Who?) Hmm, it refuses to embed. But we bravely forge on!

HGE Matt Penny has alerted us to everything from Stonehenge cakes, to replicas in process like the one being created in Canberra by Tracey and Robbie Wallace (on which we desperately need an update because if it doesn’t get a few lintels, it will not be hengy enough to post!), to the foamhenge we recently posted and many more. We thank and salute him for his numerous contributions!

Wait! One of the best things he steered us to has gone unmentioned. Recently he sent us a link to this article about the bouncy Stonehenge we posted about not long ago, quoting this bit:

“Jeremy Deller said: ‘A lot of my work deals with history, and Sacrilege is no exception, this is a way to get reacquainted with ancient Britain with your shoes off.’

 The first venue on this nomadic tour of the UK is the National Botanic Garden in west Wales, where the inflatable monument will be inaugurated for a second time by children from local schools and a team of local gymnasts. On this special occasion to mark the first London 2012 Festival event in Wales, entry to the Botanic Garden will be free of charge for the whole day, allowing visitors a truly once-in-a-lifetime experience. ‘Bouncers’ are being encouraged to download free ‘Druid Beards’ from the Sacrilege website – www.sacrilege2012.co.uk , colour them in and arrive in druid fancy dress.”

Emergency Druid beard

He knew that beard thing was deep in the Clonehenge spirit! As is being invited to arrive at the bouncy Stonehenge in Druid fancy dress, whatever the bleep that is! Not that it is the type of thing we do, mind you, but because it is the kind of thing that makes us smile in disbelief and reflect that while people are downloading and colouring Druid beards, and putting together their Druid fancy dress, they are not shooting each other or plotting ways to make shopping centers or other things that lay waste the land that Stonehenge was lovingly built to adorn. They are being silly, and that’s when we love mankind–in the midst of its sillinesses! We think Matt Penny knows that. For that he deserves not only the title of Hengefinder General Extraordinaire but a permanent supply of Emergency Druid beards!!

We hope you had a wonderful summer solstice, and have a lovely summer. This, we predict is the year of henging mania, so as you go about your business, keep your eyes open for Stonehenge replicas wherever you go. Submit them when you find them and you, too, may someday achieve the high order of the HGE! Until then, amigos, happy henging!

P.S.: We know of these auto henges of various sorts: the Ontario Autohenge, Carhenge in Nebraska, Dubhenge, the 1987 Glastonbury Festival car trilithon (which we have not yet posted) made by the Mutoid Waste Company of Tankhenge fame, and the Stonehenge replica made of cars for The Secret Life of Machines. That’s five and there are probably one or two more. And we don’t count the ones without lintels, so don’t be sending us links to Cadillac Ranch!

Note: At the Sacrilege inflatable Stonehenge trinkets link you will find not only theDruid beard, but a “certificate of bounce” to be filled in once you’ve bounced and…. a printable cutout henge, suitable for making your own paper Stonehenge replica! An easy way to start henging!

Solstice Again, Innit? Part the First!

wooden model made in preparation for the famous Icehenge in Alaska

When you are somewhat lazy-arsed, as we are, it helps a great deal to have friends who are not similarly handicapped. We have a number of friends who keep an eye to the news and alert us when they find new Stonehenge replicas, old ones, too, if there is a chance we haven’t seen them. Today, in honour of the summer solstice, 2012, one half year, a mere six months, until nothing happens and everyone is deeply shocked to find the world hasn’t ended after all and they are going to have to find a way to pay for all that stuff they put on their credit cards, [drumroll] we are going to award two of our alert friends and readers with the title of Hengefinder General, Extraordinaire. In this post we fete the wonderful ancient sites photographer, Mr. Peter Glastonbury of Wiltshire. No one has brought more henges to our attention or contributed more to the Clonehenge blog than this fine fellow, and we hereby thank and salute him!

The replica above is an example of the brilliant henges we have had from Hengefinder Glastonbury. It is a photo of a painted wooden model made for the crew that created the beautiful Stonehenge replica made of ice in Fairbanks, Alaska some years ago. In a message passed along to us, Martin Gutoski says of it, “A local artist made a wooden model of it at the architect scale of ¼” = 1’ for the ice carvers to use but it recently burned up with his house fire last spring.” Truly it was a thing of beauty!

Page of the June 22, 1898 issue of The Sketch

The item above is another of his recent contributions: two historical small replicas in an article entitled The Strange Story of Stonehenge, dating from the 1890s! We surmise that the top one, a replica of Stonehenge in recent times, may be one of Henry Browne’s cork models. The other, of a “completed” Stonehenge, appear to be made of wood and may be one that was on display at the British Museum or perhaps the Ashmolean. See–knowledge of Stonehenge replicas can be a scholarly pursuit! If you’re not careful. Which we are. So you needn’t worry! An interesting bit of this article is where the author mentions the theory that a sacred oak once grew in the very middle of Stonehenge. We hadn’t heard that one before.

Article from The Graphic, September 2, 1922

Hengefinder Extraordinaire Glastonbury also sent us this article with pictures of a Stonehenge model made by the author, H. N-Hutchison,  which is entitled What Stonehenge Probably Looked Like when Complete. Our favourite part of this one is near the end: “For reasons which need not be given here, the writer has ventured to put a small trilithon at the entrance, and two rather larger ones, one at each end of the horseshoe, to make it complete. … This arrangement seems to giove a finish to Stonehenge...” In other words, the fellow has added parts to Stonehenge that he thinks would make it better! We have mentioned before, but so long ago at this point that probably any of you weren’t even born yet, that even those who profess to be the greatest admirers of Stonehenge cannot seem to resist making little improvements in their reproductions of it. It is as if you took a picture of the Mona Lisa and then thought, She could be prettier, couldn’t she? and changed her features to look more like Charlize Theron.

Anyway, Hutchison says that the model in the pictures is of plasticene, but he made another of wood and donated it to the British Museum. And, no, it is not the same one that’s at the bottom of the other article. Small differences are evident to the seasoned eye of the Stonehenge replica expert, that is to say, ourselves.

The article ends, “I should like to see a full-sized reconstruction of Stonehenge made in concrete and set up somewhere close to Salisbury to show visitors what this wonderful monument was like in prehistoric times; and I am sure such a model would attract visitors to the ancient town.” Obviously, we’re all for that!! (And, yes, we know that not everyone believes that Stonehenge was ever finished. We are not interested in having that discussion here.)

So thank you to Mr. Glastonbury for his help with Clonehenge through the years. At least one time we were ready to quit the blog but kept going because he kept sending us replicas to post. He told us just today that he knows of a top secret Stonehenge replica project to be implemented some time in August, and he will bring us the news as it happens. More fun to come!

Happy summer solstice, everyone! And of course, happy henging!

Rock and Roll and the Henge Fixation–Polystyrene Version!

Paul Archer and his “clonehenge”

It didn’t start with This is Spinal Tap. Rock and roll latched onto Stonehenge early on. Let’s face it–the bluestones even come from the Preseli Hills! The Elvis connection!!! In the movie Help, Stonehenge is in the background of one scene. And check out this terrible Stonehenge replica built for the Rolling Stones:

“A Stonehenge setting for pop group The Rolling Stones …”

Oh, LOL, as they used to say in the previous century! That thing wouldn’t get a good score on this blog. It does already have its own druid, though–good setting for Keith Richards! But it illustrates the point that Spinal Tap was an extension, not an initiation of the Stonehenge/rock music connection.

Enter Paul Archer and The Saints of British Rock. We have to admit that we are not certain who the Saints of British Rock are or where they originated–the States, Canada, or the UK. But the salient point here is that Mister Paul Archer, prop-maker to the stars, made a brilliant polystyrene (aka styrofoam) Stonehenge replica for their coming tour. The nice thing about polystyrene is that it is bound to last longer than the original! The article linked to here throws in the phrase “Affectionately called ‘clonehenge’ ” Haha! What a great pun!!!

They make the rock pun, too. What fun when you write about a Stonehenge replica for your first time! Oh, WTF, just for old time’s sake, why don’t we go there? The Saints have chosen well–rock doesn’t get any more British than Stonehenge! Harharhar…. Sigh. Not as funny as we hoped,

We are impressed with this replica. It is not a ful replica, but the parts he chose to do he did well. The stones are so well shaped thatone might be able to figure out what number stone each one is. (Yes, the stones of Stonehenge, like your days, are numbered.) Score:  7 druids! It should only be 6½, but rock and roll makes us all nostalgic.

Take note–this replica was made in Victoria British Columbia, the Pacific Northwest again. There must be Stonehenge mycelium in the ground there. Henges pop up like mushrooms!

Hello to any bicycle people who have dropped by! We knew you were here by the sound of your gears popping. And to the rest of our Gentle Readers, thanks for visiting, and happy henging!

PS: Was it just us who were disappointed when we weren’t asked to participate in the Queen’s Jubilee?? Yes?  An inexplicable oversight. They shouldn’t be surprised if some guerilla henges start to appear around the palace when they least expect it. They have been warned!