Summer Solstice 2020 - LIVE from Stonehenge

Culture

Jun 19

This year English Heritage announced that the site of Stonehenge will be closed due to the coronavirus. BUT they are offering live coverage of sunset and sunrise at Stonehenge. That means we all can witness this remarkable moment without any travel at all! This special occasion has long been on my bucket list, so I am excited!

Their cameras will capture the best views of Stonehenge which will enable us to witness this spiritual moment from this spiritual place from the comfort of your own home. The events will be streamed LIVE across their YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram channels. Schedule them into your calendar!

Saturday, June 20, 2020
9:26 PM (Saturday June 20th, 2020 4:26 PM ET)
Sunset
Sunday, June 21, 2020
4:52 AM (Saturday, June 20, 2020 11:52 PM ET)
Sunrise

Stay up late tomorrow night!

Here’s some fascinating history about Stonehenge from English Heritage’s Instagram

On 26 October 1918, Stonehenge was offered by Cecil and Mary Chubb to Sir Alfred Mond, First Commissioner of Works, as a gift for the nation. Cecil Chubb had bought Stonehenge for £6600 at a local auction just three years previously. Prior to 1918, the monument was propped up with wooden poles and some of the stones were in danger of collapse. Increasing numbers of visitors through the late 19th century had led to damage, with people regularly chipping the stones for souvenirs and scratching their names on the monument. Although this was largely halted by the introduction of an admission charge and attendant policeman from 1901 onwards, the monument itself was still in a perilous condition. Thanks to the Chubbs' generosity, Stonehenge was saved. English Heritage’s predecessors, The Office of Works, began to care for the monument, restoring many of the fallen stones and undertaking a major survey and programme of excavation. Today, the ancient monument is looked after by English Heritage on behalf of the nation.

If you just want to see it now and not wait for the once-in-a-lifetime live video feed, check out this time lapse of the sunrise at the summer solstice last year at Stonehenge.

Here’s one more amazing resource from October 2017. PBS’ science program Nova offered a fresh investigation into Stonehenge, the biggest, most mysterious and probably the most famous of all of Europe’s prehistoric monuments. This documentary, based on new research, includes the first study of human remains buried there 5000 years ago and evidence that the stones came from far away British locales. Ghosts of Stonehenge lays out all the new clues to who built it and why - was it an ancient cathedral or burial place or even a Stone Age observatory or computer? Watch here or on the PBS app.

And if next summer you want to visit Stonehenge on the Salisbury plain or the Ring of Brodgar in the Orkney Islands of Scotland or the Ring of Kerry in Ireland, it is not too soon to plan! We could even throw in Ceann Sibeal, (C-eann She-Bil) where the Jedi Temple was re-constructed for Star Wars: The Force Awakens off the Dingle Peninsula, Ireland’s most westerly point. And speaking of ancient stone circles, you could also do an Outlander tour in Scotland next summer and perhaps even this fall. Or Christmas at the gorgeous Ashford Castle in Ireland. Or a Game of Thrones tour in Northern Ireland that is amazing if you’re a fan.

Okay I’ll stop. I have lots of possibilities and ideas! Let’s chat!