Stonehenge replicas and derivatives
This is a list of Stonehenge replicas and derivatives that seeks to collect all the non-ephemeral examples together. The fame of the prehistoric monument of Stonehenge in England has led to numerous efforts to recreate it, using a variety of different materials, around the world. Some have been carefully built as astronomically-aligned models whilst others have been examples of artistic expression and/or tourist attractions.
Astronomically aligned replicas
- The only astronomically aligned, full-scale, "exact" replica of Stonehenge in natural stone is Esperance Stonehenge at Esperance, Western Australia. Some of the blocks weigh more than 50 tonnes and the replica cost over A$250,000 to build.
- The Maryhill Stonehenge: A full-size concrete replica of Stonehenge, as it would have been originally built, saw construction commence and was originally dedicated on July 4, 1918. Built in Maryhill, Washington by Sam Hill, it was the first monument in the United States to honor the dead of World War I. The altar stone is placed to be aligned with sunrise on the Summer Solstice. Hill, a Quaker pacifist, was mistakenly informed that the original Stonehenge had been used as a sacrificial site, and thus constructed the replica as a reminder that humanity is still being sacrificed to the god of war. The monument was originally located in the center of Maryhill, which later burned down leaving only the Stonehenge replica. A second formal dedication of the monument took place upon its completion on May 30, 1929.
- There is a full-scale, limestone replica of Stonehenge on private property just northeast of Fortine, Montana, owned by inventor Jim Smith.
- A Stonehenge replica is located on the campus of the University of Texas of the Permian Basin in Odessa in Ector County, Texas. About twenty stone blocks, similar in size, shape, and appearance to the ancient Stonehenge, were unveiled in the summer of 2004.
- Stonehenge Aotearoa in the Wairarapa region of New Zealand is a modern adaptation aligned with the astronomy seen from the Antipodes. It was built by the Phoenix Astronomical Society from wood and sprayed concrete.
- Foamhenge is a full-size, astronomically-aligned Stonehenge made out of foam in Virginia. "It is the only American Stonehenge that really is an exact replica of the time-worn original." "I went to great pains to shape each 'stone' to its original shape."
- Bamahenge is a full-size, astronomically-aligned fiberglass replica of Stonehenge located in Baldwin County, Alabama.
- British Foamhenge, a full-size, correctly aligned replica made from carpet tubes and polystyrene was constructed for a UK TV programme titled "Stonehenge Live", broadcast in June 2005. The positions of each stone were accurately plotted using RTK GPS, which has centimetric accuracy. The replica quickly became known as "Foamhenge". It was removed soon after filming, and the 'stones' remain in storage.
- Missouri S&T has a half-scale replica built from solid granite located on-campus.
- A full-scale replica in sandstone was commenced in the rural township of Buckland in Tasmania in the first years of the 21st century but demolished by order of the municipal authorities. It did not have the necessary planning approval from the local council.
Less accurate replicas
- Carhenge was constructed from vintage American cars near Alliance, Nebraska by the artist Jim Reinders in 1987.
- Bavarian Strawhenge; a full-size replica was assembled in Kemnath in Bavaria in 2003 from 350 bales of straw and used as a music venue.
- Canadian Strawhenge is in Ontario.
- Phonehenge is made of old-fashioned British telephone booths and is located at Freestyle Music Park in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.
- Phonehenge West was an unrelated folk art construction in Los Angeles County, California, eventually demolished by authorities for building code violations.
- In the late 1970s, in Glasgow, an astronomically aligned stone circle was built in Sighthill Park.
- Mudhenge was erected for the 1996 Burning Man Festival.
- Munfordville Stonehenge built by a local stonemason in Kentucky and set up along compass lines.
- Twinkiehenge, another Burning Man replica, constructed in 2001 out of Twinkies.
- Stonehenge II in Texas is constructed from a sand-like material.
- Stroudhenge; East Stroudsburg University, in East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania, has a small replica located on its campus called "Stroudhenge".
- Mystical Horizons, located near Carbury, North Dakota, consists of six granite walls of varying heights that are intended to represent a 21st-century design. It functions as a working solar calendar. It was built in 2005.
- Tankhenge existed in the border zone of Berlin in the early 1990s after the collapse of the Wall. It was constructed from three ex-Soviet armoured personnel carriers.
- Stonehenge microstructure; in 2004, scientists from the National University of Singapore created the smallest 3D replica of Stonehenge. Measuring only 80 micrometres in diameter, the Stonehenge microstructure was created by a process called silicon micromachining which uses a high-energy proton beam writer to produce 3-D microshapes and structures of high structural accuracy on the surface of materials such as silicon.
- Fridgehenge; another modern take on Stonehenge once existed outside of Santa Fe, New Mexico, constructed out of junked refrigerators, known as 'Fridgehenge'. The structure was created by the artist Adam Jonas Horowitz. It no longer exists, all fridges have been removed after a complaint, confirmed on 5 August 2008.
- In 1995, Graeme Caims of Hamilton, New Zealand, built a replica of Stonehenge out of 41 refrigerators.
- At the 2007 Glastonbury Festival, graffiti artist Banksy constructed a "Stonehenge" made from portable toilets.
- Achill-henge is a 2011 concrete structure on Achill Island, off the northwest coast of Ireland.
- In 2012, British artist Jeremy Deller created a life-size inflatable bouncy castle- style replica of Stonehenge titled 'Sacrilege' which first appeared in Greenwich Park, London and other parks in the capital; the interactive artwork has since toured nationally and internationally.
- Bladehenge is the name of a Charlotte Moreton sculpture located at Solstice Park, Amesbury, 2 miles from Stonehenge. The final piece of the Solstice Park Sculptures, it is inspired by aeronautical forms of propellers and turbine, with three twisting steel monoliths designed to recall Stonehenge. It was installed in 2013.
- Steel Henge, which is in fact made using iron ingots, at Centenary Riverside park, Rotherham, England.
- Truckhenge, "an eclectic combination of farm, salvage & recycled art..... consists of 6 antique trucks jutting out of the ground - remnicient of England's Stonehenge", Topeka, Kansas
Other replicas
In 1984, the artist Richard Fleischner constructed an abstract Stonehenge-like series of granite blocks at the University of California, San Diego as part of the Stuart Collection called The La Jolla Project, and is affectionately known as Stonehenge by students and faculty.
In 2005, British TV's archaeological television program Time Team created a replica of a timber circle located near Woodhenge as part of the Stonehenge Riverside Project.
In February 2010, Peter Salisbury, founder of the Michigan DRUIDS, created a 1/3 scale replica of Stonehenge, made of snow, at the MacKay Jaycees Family Park in Grand Rapids, Michigan appropriately named Snowhenge.
Comparable archaeological sites
A henge near Stonehenge containing concentric rings of postholes for standing timbers, discovered in 1922, was named Woodhenge by its excavators because of similarities with Stonehenge. The name woodhenge is also used for a series of timber circles found at the Native American site of Cahokia. The timber Seahenge in Norfolk was named as such by journalists writing about its discovery in 1998.In November 2004, a diameter circle of postholes was found in Russia and publicised as the Russian Stonehenge. Other prehistoric sites elsewhere, often also with proposed astronomical alignments, are often described by journalists as being that region's '"answer to Stonehenge".
In May 2006, reports emerged of an "Amazon Stonehenge" Calçoene, 390 kilometres from Macapá, the capital of Amapá state, near Brazil's border with French Guiana. It comprises 127 stones, possibly forming astronomical observing points.
America's Stonehenge is an unrelated and controversial site in the U.S. state of New Hampshire.
Other sunlight alignments
- Box Tunnel, a railway tunnel in England allegedly aligned so the sun would shine through it on Isambard Kingdom Brunel's birthday.
- Manhattanhenge: in New York City, due to the street grid's skew of about 28.9° and the strict grid plan on most of the Manhattan isle, the sunset is aligned with the street grid lines in May and July, as well as the sunrise in December and January. This phenomenon is known as Manhattanhenge.
- Raleighhenge in Raleigh, North Carolina: alignment of the street grids brings sunrise alignment.
- MIThenge: similarly, at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the setting sun shines directly down the Infinite Corridor twice each year.
- The Armed Forces Memorial, Staffordshire, England, has an opening in its wall which allows the sun to illuminate its centre at 11am on Armistice Day.
Gallery