Disputing Stonehenge: Law and Access to a National Symbol

Stonehenge has been the site of lengthy, and at times violent, disputes concerning the refusal of access to the site. In particular, this has concerned the wishes of various groups of people to celebrate there (whether in religious or secular form) at Midsummer. This paper examines the events at the...

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Main Author: Tarik Sabry
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: University of Westminster Press 2016-06-01
Series:Entertainment and Sports Law Journal
Online Access:https://www.entsportslawjournal.com/article/id/679/
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author Tarik Sabry
author_facet Tarik Sabry
author_sort Tarik Sabry
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description Stonehenge has been the site of lengthy, and at times violent, disputes concerning the refusal of access to the site. In particular, this has concerned the wishes of various groups of people to celebrate there (whether in religious or secular form) at Midsummer. This paper examines the events at the site from the violent end to the era of free festivals at the site in the mid-1980s to the current moves to extend free access to the stones at the Solstice. It suggests that these events cannot be viewed in isolation. Denying access to a national monument held in public ownership raises questions of the nature of national monuments themselves, and of the society for which they have symbolic importance. The recent moves towards open access to the site at the Solstice are part of a process of renegotiation of boundaries, which itself reflects a changed social climate. However, this has not provided a final resolution to the problem of reconciling diverse interests in the site.
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spelling doaj.art-81d4c4b327f44d60b7608c60204a37012022-12-22T04:40:50ZengUniversity of Westminster PressEntertainment and Sports Law Journal1748-944X2016-06-011210.16997/eslj.168Disputing Stonehenge: Law and Access to a National SymbolTarik Sabry0Communication and Media Research Institute University of WestminsterStonehenge has been the site of lengthy, and at times violent, disputes concerning the refusal of access to the site. In particular, this has concerned the wishes of various groups of people to celebrate there (whether in religious or secular form) at Midsummer. This paper examines the events at the site from the violent end to the era of free festivals at the site in the mid-1980s to the current moves to extend free access to the stones at the Solstice. It suggests that these events cannot be viewed in isolation. Denying access to a national monument held in public ownership raises questions of the nature of national monuments themselves, and of the society for which they have symbolic importance. The recent moves towards open access to the site at the Solstice are part of a process of renegotiation of boundaries, which itself reflects a changed social climate. However, this has not provided a final resolution to the problem of reconciling diverse interests in the site.https://www.entsportslawjournal.com/article/id/679/
spellingShingle Tarik Sabry
Disputing Stonehenge: Law and Access to a National Symbol
Entertainment and Sports Law Journal
title Disputing Stonehenge: Law and Access to a National Symbol
title_full Disputing Stonehenge: Law and Access to a National Symbol
title_fullStr Disputing Stonehenge: Law and Access to a National Symbol
title_full_unstemmed Disputing Stonehenge: Law and Access to a National Symbol
title_short Disputing Stonehenge: Law and Access to a National Symbol
title_sort disputing stonehenge law and access to a national symbol
url https://www.entsportslawjournal.com/article/id/679/
work_keys_str_mv AT tariksabry disputingstonehengelawandaccesstoanationalsymbol