Was Stonehenge a Building? Bruce Bedlam’s model

shmodel-bedlam

model and image by Bruce Bedlam, with permission

The above is a virtual model, of course, but it represents a real model that was made by the artist. Pictures of the real model can be seen here. The idea Mr. Bedlam has come up with is that Stonehenge is the remnant or foundation of what was once a large wooden building. For more about it and a good look at the model itself, you can view this video:

Of course the theory sounds wacky at first but it’s partly because we haven’t considered it before. If Woodhenge had a roof, why not Stonehenge? We are willing to add it to the list of possibilities.

And what of the model? The model of the stones before the wood was added is rather a nice replica of the original structure as it imagined to have been. We think this kind of speculation is fresh and fun and fully in the spirit of Clonehenge! Score: 8 druids for Bruce Bedlam’s model of Stonehenge as a wooden star! Now, what’s the deal with that crystal thing at the bottom of this page?!

Doghenge

doghenge-2

henging and photo by deadeyebart a.k.a. Brett, with permission

Okay, we’ve been weak on the silly stuff lately, so this is the antidote, a henge of plastic toy dogs and bones. Some might even argue that this is barely a henge at all, but you can tell it is one because it says so in clear letters. 😉 We chose this picture of Doghenge for the lighting but there’s a whole series of them as you can see here.

As some may remember, Brett is the same mad henger who brought us Pezhenge and Peephenge. He takes henging to the level of art–that kind of art some call conceptual. Doghenge is a loose interpretation of the henge concept with just enough hint at accurate detail to make it work.

We want to encourage more mad henging! Score for this conceptual henge, 6½ druids. How can we not like a henge that can aim its plastic howl at the moon?

Silver Charm, Add Stonehenge to your charm bracelet

stonehenge-charm1

photo from justsimplycharming.com (warning–bright orange colour and large, dark print. Website may be annoying.)

We suppose the idea must be: If you were awestruck by this huge ancient monument, why not wear a teeny-tiny sterling silver version of it hanging from your wrist or around your neck? And you can’t blame this one on the States, friends. The website says clearly, All charms are made in the United Kingdom. So there.

We won’t linger on this one. We do find it amusing, but we can barely bring ourselves to give it 5 druids–and they would have to be the tiniest druids ever!

Wallington’s Stonehenge: “Forgotten Technology” in Michigan

stonehenge-wallington-21

photo from Mr. Wallington’s website (site now defunct), with permission

Many things about Stonehenge remain mysterious. The biggest mystery is probably why it was built, but certainly one issue that has caused speculation over the years has been the transportation and handling of the huge stones. A man in Flint, Michigan believes he has a contribution to make in that department and he is building a Stonehenge replica on his property in order to prove it. You may have seen this video of him around teh intertubes or other info at his website, The Forgotten Technology:

We don’t know how far he has gotten but his stated intent is to set up a circle of eight uprights topped by seven lintels, pretty much by himself. Impressive! Congratulations, Mr. Wallington! No scoring for now.

It is worth noting that Mr. Wallington’s methods don’t explain how huge uneven bluestones were transported over hundreds of miles of uneven territory, over mountains and through swampy areas, or even how the much larger and less evenly balanced sarsens were moved to the Stonehenge site from Westwood. His ability to move perfectly evenly balanced “stones” on even and solid ground in a clever manner doesn’t shed as much light on how Stonehenge was constructed as some people would like to believe. And of course it sheds no light on the more challenging questions like why it was built at all.

With this and the Nunica henge and one we hope to post in the future at the Raven Hill Discovery Center, Michigan has more rStonehenges than most! What is in the water up there? And can we have it piped to places around the world, especially to South America where we still don’t have a henge!? (Recent correction—now we have one in Brazil, where else?)

Spinal Tap, Our 100th Post!

taphenge-5

from the movie Spinal Tap

When you say Stonehenge replica, people say Spinal Tap. And something about dwarfs. This rock spoof movie has etched the idea of Stonehenge replicas into the public consciousness, for better or worse. We run into it everywhere in our searches, often from folks who think they are brilliantly original to think of it. *wink*

spinaltap At least one real band did use a Stonehenge replica as a set back in the heyday of boomer rock, one so large that it didn’t fit into some venues. Which band? We’ve seen two or three mentioned but we’re told it was really Black Sabbath and that Ozzy Osborne is still paying for its storage in a New York warehouse. If we could get a picture, it could be a post of its own! The story of the Spinal Tap replica is shown in the video below.

Many thanks to our readers and contributors for making our first 100 posts possible! Score for the Spinal Tap relica: 5 druids. It’s just a trilithon, after all!

[Note: after the next couple posts, we hope to slow down to just a few posts per week. Surely the number of replicas is not infinite! Right? Right!?]

LiteFX–Stonehenge Lit From Within

henge_-crystal-transmission

photo and henge by Anne and David Campbell of Lite FX, used with permission

And now, as they say, for something completely different: LED-lit selenite henges handmade by special effects experts in Scotland (see the link here). You can see similar ones (but without lintels) on this webpage, but alas they are no longer being made for sale, except perhaps if you have the cash to commission one.

David says: “the ‘stones’ are made from selenite, and light is transmitted through them from l.e.d.’s in the base. This has to be done very carefully or the brightness diminishes rapidly. Some models were purely decorative, but some had accurate stone sizes and arrangements that permitted use as a miniature calendar. We originally intended the henges to be used at night and outdoors, and made them run from mains or battery power.”

The ancients might have envied us if they knew we could have miniature Stonehenges that glowed in the dark! Selenite, we’re told, dissolves easily and can’t be used outdoors, but no doubt one day someone will build a full-sized permanent Stonehenge replica that glows. It’s science types who seem most fascinated by Stonehenge and they’re the ones who can sort the details.

Structurally, of course, this isn’t an accurate replica, but we feel inclined to slip them some druids for originality and just total brilliance! Score: 7 druids for the crystal light transmission henge.

Druids’ Temple, A Yorkshire Folly

druids-temple-3

photos by Mick of the Yorkshire Guide, with permission

Building Stonehenge-like constructions based on fantasies about druids and their mystic, perhaps grotesque, rituals among the stones became the fashion in Great Britain from the late 1700s into the 1800s*. Perhaps it is a matter of the Brits once again being way ahead of the curve!

druids-temple-4 This Druids’ or Druid’s Temple stands near Ilton in Yorkshire, and is an oval rather than a circle, looking more like a ruined longbarrow than a henge, but we include it because of the builder’s intent. You can read a little of its story here, and more pictures here. It has an altar stone, a heel stone, and other megalithic paraphernalia associated with it.

The designer seems to have been caught up in a romantic vision of magical druidism. Interesting how often people feel they must improve on Stonehenge, considering its popularity. Even in pictures people add various colours and sky effects as if the original just isn’t good enough. Score for this gaudy bauble of a replica: 7½ druids. Nice stones! And it’s another example of modern megaliths built where ancient ones abound.

*[Note: Several more older Stonehenge-like follies exist in Great Britain, but we cannot find pictures and so cannot bring them to you.]

Indian River Reptile Zoo–Ontario strikes again!

indian-river-1

photo by Stella Daniella, with permission

Just a few miles from Petroglyphs Provincial Park and Serpent Mounds Park near Peterborough, Ontario is the Indian River Reptile Zoo. Fans of snakes, lizards, alligators and turtles flock here for cold-blooded fun AND to pose for pictures at Stonehenge. Why Stonehenge at a reptile zoo? We’d love to know!

It’s sort of a funny replica, from what we can see, with some elements that suggest one of the stone circles at Calanish, and lintels on some of the other stones. But quirkiness can generate druids here at the Clonehenge blog as long as it is not the kind that makes us slap our foreheads.

Its proximity to a famous petroglyph site and the notable Serpent Mound complex (not to be confused with its more renowned Ohio counterpart) intrigues us. The Paju City Stonehenge, too, is near ancient megalithic sites. Near Clonehenge headquarters there is a similar situation with modern megaliths erected in a place surrounded by prehistoric stonework. It brings up a favourite question: do some landscapes speak to our subconcious minds and urge us to do this sort of thing? But, hey, our job here is just to score. We’re giving this thing 7 druids because—reptiles and Stonehenge–random much?

Later note–received this in an email from Edward Loyst: “You asked why a Stonehenge at a reptile Zoo…Well here are the facts. The Indian River Reptile Zoo is my son’s creation. he designed the state of the art building and safe climate controlled facilities exclusively for reptiles. Bryont has now been Curator of this CAZA accredited zoo for 10 years.The zoo is located on 36 acres near Peterborough Ontario and features indoor and outdoor exhibits of snakes turtles lizards and alligators…. as well as an educational lecture centre and a 2km nature trail. The Standing stones as we call them are my creation . My son made the mistake of allowing me to design the picnic area and when he was busy worrying about building a modern reptile zoo I went to a granite quarry 30km away and trucked in several (10) truck loads of giant slabs (stones up to 7tons each) of Belmont Pink Granite and planted them in the picnic area.People love the stones and the good part is there are a dozen more megalithic stones still to be planted. This is all part of my master plan to build a botanical garden with pathways wandering by the stones and flowers. I will send you new pictures later this year when the next section is complete.”

He included a website, a page of which has pictures of megalithia, including a trilithon. And some things that look a lot like Easter Island moai. Thank you! We look forward to those pictures and will do a separate post when we receive them.

Stonehenge and Golf–Why?

big-mini-golf1

photo by Jo Wallace

There’s an intriguing connection between golf and Stonehenge (remember Montana’s beautifulreplica?). A surprising number of regular golf courses are named Stonehenge and some crazy golf entrepreneurs feel the attraction as well. The golf course above is in Norfolk, U.K. and is the only big red Stonehenge we have ever seen. The one below, at Stonehenge Golf Centre, is in Larkhill, Wiltshire.

stonehenge-mini-gol There’s a brilliant one in Thailand, too, the link to which we seem to have mislaid, so we’ll add it when we locate it again. Stonehenge shouldn’t feel special, though. Minigolf and crazy golf contribute other replicas as well favouring things like the Taj Mahal, the pyramids and the Sphinx.

We’ll give the first one 5 druids and the second the same. But we admit we would go out of our ways to play at either course. Meet you there at solstice!

Another Henge for Your Garden, out of Ohio

garden-henge-green-mantle

photo and henge by Kelly Lawrence, with permission

Another day and another Stonehenge-for-sale, but what a difference a day makes! From Green Mantle Studio in the land of the Indian mounds comes this nice little fired, painted, and water-sealed Stonehenge. They are produced only when ordered, with individual care given to each piece.

Kelly, the artist, explains its origins: “One of my more popular pieces is a Dolmen Toad House which inspired one of my customers to commission me to make a full Stonehenge replica for his garden. He wanted it to represent the monument as it was not as it is today so there are 30 uprights and 30 lintels in the outer ring, 5 trilithons make up the horseshoe in the center and finally the set includes both an altar stone and a heel stone.”

The ditch and bank are up to you. And if you buy one of these, believe me, we’ll be around to make sure you follow through! We are pleased that the dolmen came first and that this replica was someone else’s request. We also approve of a lack of Easter Island heads on the site!

Scoring: 6½ druids for this pleasing American henge. It’s tempting–just to see the looks on our neighbors’ faces. Does it come in Extra Extra Large?

CLONEHENGE

A blog about Stonehenge Replicas. We kid you not.

Category Archives for Uncategorized