Latest news with #Stonehenge
Daily Mail
4 hours ago
- Science
- Daily Mail
Stonehenge's biggest remaining mysteries: The 5 key unanswered questions – as scientists crack how enigmatic boulder was transported from Wales
It is one of ancient Britain's most iconic and puzzling landmarks. But scientists are now finally starting to solve some of Stonehenge's most baffling mysteries. This week, a group of leading experts announced that they had finally settled the debate over the origin of the landmark's iconic bluestones – the group of smaller stones that are dotted around the site. However, as much as we learn about this enigmatic structure, there are still many questions yet to be answered. Dr Rob Ixer, an archaeologist from UCL, told MailOnline: 'In some cases we know where they came from within 100 metres or even 10 metres. 'But, in a sense, that's trivial information compared to why did they bring the stones from the Preseli Hills in Wales to the centre of Wessex.' Likewise, scientists say we still have much to learn about the people who undertook this epic feat of engineering over 5,000 years ago. These are the five key unanswered questions that archaeologists need to finally solve this enduring puzzle. 1. How did they move the stones? Scientists believe that the stones which make up Stonehenge come from three distinct locations. First are the enormous standing stones, known as the sarsens, which make up the pillars and lintels of the structure. These sandstone blocks, weighing 10 to 30 tonnes and standing up to 23 feet (seven metres) tall, come from the West Woods, south-west of Marlborough - about 20 miles (32 km) from Stonehenge. Second are the bluestones - smaller stones dotting the site, which weigh between two and four tonnes. A team of researchers recently concluded that these stones came from a known neolithic quarry site at Craig Rhos-y-Felin in the Preseli Hills, Wales, about 125 (200km) away. Finally, the most mysterious of all of the rocks is the six-tonne Altar Stone, which researchers now believe came from the Orcadian Basin in the north-east of Scotland. This means the Altar Stone travelled at least 435 miles (700 km) before it became part of the site. Dr Ixer says: 'People used to think that the bluestones were brought along the coast, being rafted up through the Bristol Channel. 'We now think that the stones were transported overland, along what is now the A40 and that they were carried there.' We know from modern anthropological studies of traditional groups, such as those in Indonesia, that enormous stones can be moved without machinery, provided enough people work together. However, we don't know the exact method that the Stone Age people of Britain used to move these stones such great distances. To explain how the stones may have been moved, researchers at Newcastle University suggest that the Stonehenge builders could have used 'greased sledges'. Pottery found at the nearby Durrington Walls, near Stonehenge, was discovered to have strangely high residues of pig fat soaked into the clay. While it had been assumed that this grease was from cooking, the shape of the pottery suggests that these dishes were more like buckets than plates. The researchers argue that this could be evidence that the Stonehenge builders used greased wooden sleds rolled over logs, which would only require 20 people. What technology could have been used to move the bluestones? To reach Wiltshire each of the two to five-tonne stones would need to have been dragged around 140 miles over rough terrain. Some suggest the Neolithic builders could have used ropes and wooden rollers. This would take a large number of people but not as many as the 500 suggested by some calculations. To make things easier the builders may have used wooden sledges lubricated with pig fat. Or they may have used cricket ball-sized stones on wooden runners to act like ball bearings. However, any wooden sleds or rollers would have long since decayed, meaning the exact method will likely remain a mystery. 2. Why was Stonehenge constructed? Archaeologists are absolutely certain that Stonehenge was built so that it aligns with movement of the sun during the summer and winter solstices. However, this doesn't tell us why people would go to such enormous lengths to do this. 'We know that it does have this solar function, but it's an enormous effort for something that doesn't seem to be needed,' says Dr Ixer. 'The true answer is that nobody really knows why it was that they built it.' What makes Stonehenge so puzzling is that it is far more elaborate than it needs to be to perform its astrological function. Dr Ixer says that it is the neolithic equivalent of putting gold decoration on an astrolabe; it's vastly expensive and simply not necessary. Stonehenge is so over-complicated that some researchers think that its shape and function were not the real reason for its construction. Instead, the act of building this monument might have been much more important than the finished product. Recently, researchers have suggested that the construction of Stonehenge might have been intended to unify the different groups in Stone Age Britain. Professor Mike Parker Pearson, an archaeologist from UCL, suggests that the fact that the stones come from all the different regions of the UK means it had a political as well as spiritual purpose. Similarly, Dr Ixer says that the best modern analogy for Stonehenge is how the spaceship Endeavour was paraded through the streets of LA. He says: 'That really is what Stonehenge is about. It's about the ceremony, it's the taking part and the doing that's important.' 3. Why the Salisbury Plain? Scientists believe that the Salisbury Plain might have been used for sun worship for hundreds of years before the first stones were laid. In fact, Stonehenge would have once been at the heart of a bustling religious site. In 2016, archaeologists unearthed a large sacred complex just 1.5 miles (2.4 km) from Stonehenge. This settlement is believed to be 1,000 years older than Stonehenge and was a sacred place where Neolithic people performed ceremonies, including feasting and the deliberate smashing of ceramic bowls. This 'enclosure' is one of about 70 found across England and the second in the Stonehenge landscape. The site is unique in a number of ways that ancient people might have recognised. For example, at this latitude, the sun rises directly in the East on the midsummer solstice and sets directly in the West during the midwinter solstice. Likewise, there are deep natural grooves in the landscape which run along this east-west axis, travelling in line with the direction of the sun during the solstice. However, archaeologists still aren't sure why the Salisbury Plain became important enough to bring stones from all over the country to it. Timothy Daw, co-author of the research into the Bluestones and Stonehenge expert, told MailOnline: 'There are things about the site that are special, but is it where the different west and east cultures and tribes came together? 'Or is it a centre for people from all over the Isles and that is why they brought their stones?' 4. Why did people keep changing Stonehenge? Perhaps one of the strangest things about Stonehenge is that it isn't one single completed structure. Instead, what we see today is the product of thousands of years of adjustments and alterations made by successive cultures living in the area. Dating back to around 3000 BC, the Stonehenge site was already one of the largest Neolithic burial complexes in Britain. This original complex was made of 56 holes surrounded by a bank that may have held stones or wooden posts. It wasn't until about 2500 BC that the sarsens and bluestones were erected at the site. However, even this monumental construction didn't last for long. Just 200 or 300 years afterwards, another group of people dug up all the bluestones and moved them from a circle into a large oval. Then, a few hundred years later, another group dug up the stones again and arranged them into a horseshoe shape. Dr Ixer says: 'They were time and time again changing the shape of it and, presumably, by changing the shape of it, they were also changing the meaning of it. 'Among the Stonehenge people, there must have been such a radical shift in belief systems that they actually pulled up all these stones and rearranged them; and we don't know why.' 5. Where are the missing stones? As archaeologists have excavated the area around Stonehenge, they have found more and more pits which seem to have once held large stones. Although we know that the stones had been moved, what is unusual is that there don't seem to be enough stones to fill all the holes. Professor Richard Bevins, a geologist from Aberystwyth University, told MailOnline: '. There are currently around 45 known bluestones. It is thought that the bluestones were brought to Stonehenge around 3000 BC and placed in a circle of holes known as the Aubrey Holes, of which there were 56. 'So potentially there might be some bluestones missing.' However, archaeologists currently have no idea where these missing stones might have gone. Many of the stones show extensive damage from tourists chipping away chunks to take as souvenirs. In fact, during the 19th century, visitors were said to be able to rent hammers from the nearby town of Amesbury for this specific purpose. But this doesn't seem to account for the absence of entire six-tonne stones. Nor do pieces of the stones show up in nearby farm walls and buildings as they do near other stone circles in the UK. So, until one is found, the whereabouts of those enormous stones remains a complete mystery. Britain began the move from 'hunter-gatherer' to farming and settlements about 7,000 years ago as part of the 'Neolithic Revolution' The Neolithic Revolution was the world's first verifiable revolution in agriculture. It began in Britain between about 5000 BC and 4500 BC but spread across Europe from origins in Syria and Iraq between about 11000 BC and 9000 BC. The period saw the widespread transition of many disparate human cultures from nomadic hunting and gathering practices to ones of farming and building small settlements. The revolution was responsible for turning small groups of travellers into settled communities who built villages and towns. Some cultures used irrigation and made forest clearings to better their farming techniques. Others stored food for times of hunger, and farming eventually created different roles and divisions of labour in societies as well as trading economies. In the UK, the period was triggered by a huge migration or folk-movement from across the Channel. Today, prehistoric monuments in the UK span from the time of the Neolithic farmers to the invasion of the Romans in AD 43. Many of them are looked after by English Heritage and range from standing stones to massive stone circles, and from burial mounds to hillforts. Stonehenge, the most famous prehistoric structure in Europe, possibly the world, was built by Neolithic people, and later finished during the Bronze Age. Neolithic structures were typically used for ceremonies, religious feasts and as centres for trade and social gatherings.
Daily Mail
a day ago
- Science
- Daily Mail
Stonehenge mystery is SOLVED after 5,000 years – as scientists finally crack how enigmatic boulder was transported from Wales
It's the monument that has baffled scientists for hundreds of years. But now, experts may have finally solved one of Stonehenge's greatest mysteries. Researchers have revisited the debate over the origin of the landmark's iconic bluestones – the group of smaller stones that are dotted around the site on Salisbury Plain in Wiltshire. They focused on a rock known as the Newall boulder, which was uncovered during excavations around a century ago. One of the main debates has been whether this rock – and other similar stones – reached the site after being transported by glaciers from Wales, or whether humans moved them more than 5,000 years ago. A team, led by Professor Richard Bevins from Aberystwyth University, compared the Newall boulder – which is about the size of a football – with samples from a rocky outcrop in Wales. Through geochemical and microscopic analysis, they concluded 'there is no evidence to support the interpretation that it is a glacial erratic'. Instead, the stone is a precise match for the unique characteristics of rocks from Craig Rhos–y–Felin – indicating humans transported the heavy boulder from more than 125 miles (200km) away. There is already evidence of stone quarrying at the site, in north Pembrokeshire, by Neolithic communities around 3000 BCE, they explained. Chemical analysis revealed that the Newall boulder and other fragments found at Stonehenge share identical levels of thorium and zirconium with the stone at Craig Rhos–y–Felin. The researchers said the Newall boulder is a foliated rhyolite and has a surface layer rich in calcium carbonate – the result of its long burial in the chalky soils at Stonehenge. This further reinforces the idea that it was brought here by humans and not glaciers, they said, because glaciers would have left a much more dispersed distribution of similar stones across the region – something that has not been found. The study, published in the Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports, also makes an important discovery about another of the buried stones at Stonehenge – Stone 32d. It was previously thought to be a type of rock called a spotted dolerite, but new analysis confirms it is also a foliated rhyolite – like the Newall boulder. Transporting these stones, which can weigh over three tonnes, from Wales to Stonehenge would have been an incredible feat of human logistics. 'Part of the fascination of Stonehenge is that many of its megaliths, in contrast to the large, relatively local sarsens, can be proven to have been sourced from Wales, over 200km to the west,' the researchers wrote. What are the Stonehenge bluestones? The bluestones of Stonehenge are a collection of smaller, distinctive stones that form the inner circle and horseshoe formations within the monument. They are named for the bluish tinge they exhibit when freshly broken or wet, despite not always appearing blue in their current state. These stones are not native to the Salisbury Plain area where Stonehenge is located, and are known to have been sourced from Pembrokeshire in Wales. 'Most archaeologists accept that Neolithic people achieved this remarkable feat, transporting blocks weighing up to 3.5 tonnes. 'There is, however, a contrary view, which proposed that no human effort was involved. 'Rather, it is argued, the Welsh stones were transported by glacial ice long before Stonehenge was built.' One of the main proponents of the glacier theory is geologist Dr Brian John, who has previously insisted that the Newall boulder shows glacial abrasion marks. A prior study of his concludes: 'The boulder was reduced in size and heavily modified during glacial transport, for much of the time on the bed of a glacier. 'It was eventually dumped at some location on, or relatively close to, Salisbury Plain.' As part of the new study, the researchers said these features could also be the result of natural weathering. They also said that even if the rock had been transported by ice in the past, it would not explain why similar fragments are only found at Stonehenge and not anywhere else on the Salisbury Plain. The experts said the minerologies of stone from Craig Rhos–y–Felin (left) are identical to stones from Stonehenge (right), indicating they came from the same source Their findings indicate that Dr John's arguments 'have no basis in evidence', they wrote, adding: 'To present it as fact, rather than as hypothesis, is disingenuous'. 'The presence of Stonehenge itself is the evidence of movement by Neolithic peoples of stones weighing up to as much as 40 tonnes,' they wrote. 'Unless it is argued that all the stones were just lying on the ground ready to be erected where they were to make Stonehenge, the stones must have been moved into position. 'If Neolithic people could move a stone a few tens of metres they could move it tens or hundreds of kilometres. 'It may not have been easy, but it was entirely possible and moving 2–3 tonne bluestones would involve an order of magnitude less effort than moving the sarsens.' While the large sarsen stones were only transported from West Woods in Wiltshire – roughly 32km (20 miles) away – they weighed over 20 tonnes each and stood up to seven metres tall. The famous 'Altar Stone' was even transported from Scotland around 750km (466 miles) away, a study published last year revealed. 'There is no evidence for how they moved these stones,' the researchers wrote, 'but recent indigenous peoples have been transporting stones weighing many tonnes great distances with ropes, wooden sledges and trackways – technologies which would have been available in the Neolithic.' While builders 5,000 years ago normally used whatever materials were at hand for stone circles, Stonehenge is 'exceptional' for being constructed entirely of stones brought from long distances, the team said. Researchers have previously suggested that the site may have had a political as well as a religious purpose, 'a moment of unification for the peoples of Britain, celebrating their eternal links with their ancestors and the cosmos'. The new study provides strong evidence of human transport, but the mystery of exactly why Stonehenge was built – and how – is ongoing. The team concluded: 'We reiterate our previous interpretation that the Newall boulder is not a glacial erratic, that there is no evidence of glaciation on the Salisbury Plain, and that the bluestones were transported to Stonehenge by humans and not by ice.' The Stonehenge monument standing today was the final stage of a four part building project that ended 3,500 years ago Stonehenge is one of the most prominent prehistoric monuments in Britain. The Stonehenge that can be seen today is the final stage that was completed about 3,500 years ago. According to the monument's website, Stonehenge was built in four stages: First stage: The first version of Stonehenge was a large earthwork or Henge, comprising a ditch, bank and the Aubrey holes, all probably built around 3100 BC. The Aubrey holes are round pits in the chalk, about one metre (3.3 feet) wide and deep, with steep sides and flat bottoms. They form a circle about 86.6 metres (284 feet) in diameter. Excavations revealed cremated human bones in some of the chalk filling, but the holes themselves were likely not made to be used as graves, but as part of a religious ceremony. After this first stage, Stonehenge was abandoned and left untouched for more than 1,000 years. Second stage: The second and most dramatic stage of Stonehenge started around 2150 years BC, when about 82 bluestones from the Preseli mountains in south-west Wales were transported to the site. It's thought that the stones, some of which weigh four tonnes each, were dragged on rollers and sledges to the waters at Milford Haven, where they were loaded onto rafts. They were carried on water along the south coast of Wales and up the rivers Avon and Frome, before being dragged overland again near Warminster and Wiltshire. The final stage of the journey was mainly by water, down the river Wylye to Salisbury, then the Salisbury Avon to west Amesbury. The journey spanned nearly 240 miles, and once at the site, the stones were set up in the centre to form an incomplete double circle. During the same period, the original entrance was widened and a pair of Heel Stones were erected. The nearer part of the Avenue, connecting Stonehenge with the River Avon, was built aligned with the midsummer sunrise. Third stage: The third stage of Stonehenge, which took place about 2000 years BC, saw the arrival of the sarsen stones (a type of sandstone), which were larger than the bluestones. They were likely brought from the Marlborough Downs (40 kilometres, or 25 miles, north of Stonehenge). The largest of the sarsen stones transported to Stonehenge weighs 50 tonnes, and transportation by water would not have been possible, so it's suspected that they were transported using sledges and ropes. Calculations have shown that it would have taken 500 men using leather ropes to pull one stone, with an extra 100 men needed to lay the rollers in front of the sledge. These stones were arranged in an outer circle with a continuous run of lintels - horizontal supports. Inside the circle, five trilithons - structures consisting of two upright stones and a third across the top as a lintel - were placed in a horseshoe arrangement, which can still be seen today. Final stage: The fourth and final stage took place just after 1500 years BC, when the smaller bluestones were rearranged in the horseshoe and circle that can be seen today. The original number of stones in the bluestone circle was probably around 60, but these have since been removed or broken up. Some remain as stumps below ground level.
Daily Mail
3 days ago
- Daily Mail
Families in 'Stonehenge' village say it is a speeding death trap as World Heritage rules means safety signs are frowned upon
Families in a 'Stonehenge' village say it is a 'death trap' where cars keep crashing because World Heritage rules are restricting signs in order to preserve its picturesque landscape. Residents in Avebury say the spate of accidents - including three deaths in two years - is because of a lack of signage. Officials try to minimize the number and size of road signs in 'areas of special landscape value' because they can detract from natural beauty and character. And locals say because of its heritage status they have the 'bare minimum' number of road and speed signs - which is leading to accidents. The Wiltshire village has a Neolithic henge monument and is one of the best-known prehistoric sites in Britain - and recently voted the most picturesque. It contains the largest megalithic stone circle in the world and is both a tourist attraction and a place of religious importance to modern pagans - while Stonehenge is a more famous and architecturally sophisticated stone circle. But residents want to reduce speeding or increase signage following recent crashes on the A4361 which runs through it. Dubbed a 'death-trap' by some, cyclists have lost their lives on the road and just last month three cars were left badly damaged after a crash. Wiltshire Council said it conducted a speed limit review in 2019 and reduced the limit outside Avebury to 50mph. Following the review, the decision was made to keep the speed limit within the village at 30mph. But residents say they are 'scared' over traffic as it is 'waiting for a tragedy to happen'. They say one of the problems is because it is protected the number and size of speeding signs is restricted. Mike Daniel, who runs a bed and breakfast on the road, said there's people speeding, overtaking and going too fast but 'no safety measures' are in place. He said: 'Because it is a World Heritage Site they have tried to limit the signage - but safety has to come before that. 'The road signs are the bare minimum which means there is little warning of speed, hazards, bends, people crossing, please drive carefully signs. 'The National Trust don't like signage for obvious aesthetic reasons but safety of people is coming second. 'They should make it a 20mph limit through the village and they should extend the 30mph limit further up the road so it covers more houses. 'They should implement double white lines in the middle of the road to prevent people from overtaking which would reduce the speed.' Mike added that the issue is not on the visitors and tourists but on the commuters who are using the A4361 as a 'thoroughfare to their work'. The crash in June involving three cars was right outside his house and his B&B. A telegraph pole was damaged in the crash, leaving local properties without phone lines or broadband for 10 days. Local Moya Hampson's son was run over by a tractor on the A4361 on his way to the school bus in 2017 when he was then 15. The impact left him with several broken limbs. She said the 30mph limit was not enough to protect pedestrians, especially as there was very limited signage in the village because it was a World Heritage Site. She added that if there is a sign anywhere foliage will grow over it and will not be cleaned. Mrs Hampson said: 'It is stones over human lives. I don't feel that they see us as an importance probably more of as an inconvenience.' She said it is 'dangerous' to walk into the village and pull in and out of her drive. 'In the past two years there has been three deaths within the Avebury complex. 'Tourists are walking on the side of the road, they are in the road way, there is no footpath there and they will get run over and people will continue to have lots of accidents on the road and hopefully there won't be too many that die.' Mrs Hampson alongside Mr Daniel have now created a petition pleading for safer roads in Avebury. The petition calls the heritage site a 'dangerous hot spot' where residents and tourists' lives 'are in danger'. Avebury, including the stone circles, is primarily managed by the National Trust. Andrea Greig, 63, is a retiree who has lived in Avebury for eight years. She said: 'All of us here are worried about accidents and safety, it's a retirement park. We are all older and no one can get out of the way quickly. 'There's not enough speed limit signs. That's the National Trust. They don't want too much signage around the place but it needs it.' Lynn White, a retiree, 66, has lived in Avebury for 10 years. 'Nobody takes any notice of the 30mph sign. It's very fast the vehicles that go by, even when they see it. And there's not enough of them. 'There's been a few accidents on the corner. It's pretty awful. At night you can be laid in bed and hear them zooming by.' Steve Palmer, 61, has lived in Avebury for seven years. He said: 'There was a pile up last week, three cars, last week. There's been a guy killed on the road going to Swindon. Too many accidents. 'We don't want deaths. Put the signage in and there won't be any deaths.' Alice Macaire, 59, a charity worker, said: 'I don't want another death. I think the deaths are pointless because it doesn't have to be like this.' Cllr Martin Smith, Cabinet Member for Highways, said: 'We conducted a speed limit review along the A4361 from Beckhampton to the county boundary in 2019. 'As a result, the speed limit through Avebury village remains at 30mph, while the limit outside the village was reduced from the national speed limit to 50mph. 'We understand that some residents have formed an unofficial group to raise concerns. We encourage those concerned to contact their local Parish Council. As we work with those who have been elected to represent the community.' A National Trust spokesperson said: 'The safety of local residents and visitors at Avebury has always been a priority for us. 'The National Trust has not been formally consulted on any changes to traffic management in and around Avebury, nor do we have the authority to implement or block new measures that the relevant authorities may introduce. 'We would of course fully engage with any formal consultation along with our partners in the World Heritage Site.'
Scottish Sun
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Scottish Sun
The retro model theme park that was like a ‘mini wonderland' – here's what it was like to visit as a child
Plus, Universal's UK theme park plans have dropped – here's what you can expect including nightclubs and film studios DOWN SIZED The retro model theme park that was like a 'mini wonderland' – here's what it was like to visit as a child A FORMER amusement park in Bournemouth used to be home to "Europe's largest model landscape" with Big Ben and a mechanical Tower Bridge. The model village of Tucktonia opened back in 1976 and included an array of different landmarks such as Admiralty Arch, Hadrian's Wall and Stonehenge. Advertisement 6 Tucktonia opened back in 1976 and included an array of different landmarks such as Admiralty Arch, Hadrian's Wall and Stonehenge Credit: Alamy 6 Located in Bournemouth, Tucktonia used to be home to "Europe's largest model landscape" Credit: Alamy 6 Some of the models were even mechanical including Tower Bridge which opened and closed Credit: Alamy Some of the models even moved, including Tower Bridge, which opened and closed to allow boats to pass through. A model of an airport also was mechanical with planes actually travelling along the runway. But the model village didn't just feature big landmarks, it also had a Cornish village, Kellogg's factory and a motorway flyover. At the time, the attraction was dubbed "the best of Britain in Miniature", according to an advert for the destination. Advertisement One woman, Emma Cansdale from Waltham Abbey used to visit regularly as a child. The 52-year-old told Sun Travel: "As an eight-year-old it was like a mini wonderland. "Back then I loved the quaintness of model villages and miniature railways. Emma added: "I remember it was a hot summer day spent following the map to find the different attractions and eating ice cream." Advertisement Across the village, there were over 200 models made from fibre glass and steel and it cost £2million to develop - about £13.5million now. The attraction took two years in total to plan and build. Best of British: Bournemouth's beach and vibrant city life is the perfect getaway And for little ones, there was Railriders club - which Emma was part of. "One of the reasons we went to Tucktonia was to pick up a sticker for my Railriders sticker book as they were participating in that scheme," Emma added. Advertisement Old maps of Tucktonia Leisure Park that Emma has, show what featured at the 21acre site. And it wasn't just the model village - it also had a number of other attractions including fairground rides, a fun slide, boating lake, an amusement arcade, crazy golf, a go-kart track and a mini cinema. One leaflet even claims the park was home to "Europe's largest model landscape". Another poster claims it was "the greatest model Britain in the world". Advertisement 6 There used to be a number of other attractions too including fairground rides Credit: Emma Cansdale According to Dorset Life, some famous faces made appearances at the park too. Comedian and magician Tommy Cooper and actor Jon Pertwee visited in 1978. Keith Chegwin and Maggie Philbin also hosted the BBC's Multi-Coloured Swap Shop live from the park. Advertisement Then in 1985, it was used as a film set for the alien movie Lifeforce - a sci-fi horror by Tobe Hooper, who also created The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Some believe that a number of the models were destroyed as part of the filming, whilst others claim that whilst the village was used as a set, the buildings destroyed in the film were actually different models created by the visual effects team. 6 Emma used to visit as a child and remembers it well Credit: Emma Cansdale In 1980, Alton Towers opened and many believed that this immediately had an impact on the number of visitors at Tucktonia. Advertisement In the following years, the park changed ownership more than once and then in 1986, the park closed - just a decade after the model village had first opened. The site's buildings and fixtures were then all cleared to make the land available for a pub. In 2003, the site then transformed again into a number of retirement flats and homes. One fan of the park commented on social media: "What a fab place it was... Big childhood memories, very sad when it closed." Advertisement Another added: "Absolutely loved Tucktonia. As a child these places were so exciting." There is also an abandoned £118million fairytale theme park that would have been a Disneyland rival – but closed after four years. Plus, Universal's UK theme park plans have dropped – here's what you can expect including nightclubs and film studios. 6 In 1985, the attraction was even used as a film set for the alien movie Lifeforce Credit: Emma Cansdale
Globe and Mail
7 days ago
- Politics
- Globe and Mail
Trump risks losing his most loyal followers over Epstein conspiracy handling, health care cuts
What caused the Big Bang? How could Roy Halladay possibly pitch so deep so often into so many Blue Jays baseball games? Why was Stonehenge built? Who is portrayed in Vermeer's Girl with a Pearl Earring? Are there odd perfect numbers? Will the Maple Leafs ever win a Stanley Cup again? To the list of the universe's most nagging mysteries, let's add one more: Will Donald Trump's hold on his MAGA coalition ever loosen? This week's surprising answer: Maybe. And all because of a man who died and a piece of legislation that didn't. The Trump administration's failure to produce a list of clients of Jeffrey Epstein, who specialized in liaisons with young women and who provided sexual partners for powerful men, combined with second thoughts about the 'big, beautiful' tax and spending package the President signed July 4, have provided the strongest test yet of the survivability of the MAGA insurgency. Trump criticizes his own supporters as 'weaklings' for falling for Epstein 'hoax' For nearly a decade – through political setbacks, the scorn of the American political establishment, sex scandals, the imprisonment of rioters at the Capitol, dozens of indictments against Mr. Trump himself – those ties never loosened. Mr. Trump and his legion of followers seemed to be bound together with the immutability and permanence of the Anglo-Portuguese Treaty of Windsor. (It was signed in 1386 and still is in force.) But suddenly, astonishingly, maybe even inevitably, the survival of Mr. Trump's political base is the question of the moment. As it has been scores of times. On each occasion, Mr. Trump has prevailed, the crisis of the moment has disappeared, the threat to the coalition has abated, and the President and his legion of followers have renewed their vows. But although Bruce Springsteen crooned nearly a half-century ago that 'you can't break the ties that bind,' there now are signs of strain. They come from a handful of Republican lawmakers, committed Trump allies, who believe the 'big, beautiful' budget strikes too deeply at medical assistance for the poor and support for rural hospitals. The leader of the movement to repeal those elements of the measure and to double subsidies for rural hospitals is Republican Senator Josh Hawley of Missouri, who gave rioters a fist-up salute during the rebellion at the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. The Americans most likely to suffer from the Medicaid cuts and the crisis of rural medicine: the very onetime Democrats whom Mr. Trump has lassoed into the Republican Party. Republicans consider changes to Trump's request for $9.4-billion in spending cuts The signs also come from those who believe that documents in the care of the Justice Department are hiding explosive sexual details about the very captains of the financial and political establishment that the MAGA coalition reviles. (Some of the President's most ardent critics want those details revealed as well, for Mr. Trump himself is known to believe in marriage but not to be a fanatic about it.) This contretemps suggests a new maxim for American political life: Live by the conspiracy, die by the conspiracy. Mr. Epstein died six years ago, apparently by his own hand, in prison, though many in the MAGA coalition believe that dark forces were involved in a hushed-up murder. This rebellion in the Trump ranks – already frayed by the President's order to bomb the Iranian nuclear sites in contravention of the coalition's isolationist instincts – was heightened by Attorney-General Pam Bondi's assertion on Fox News in February that a list of the Epstein clients was 'sitting on my desk right now to review.' In recent days she has insisted there was no such review because there was no such list. Mr. Trump rushed to Ms. Bondi's defence, saying, 'He's dead for a long time' and dismissing the controversy as 'pretty boring,' arguing that the whole thing was made up by Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton and 'the Losers and Criminals of the Biden Administration.' Mr. Epstein's lawyer agreed there were no hidden secrets. 'Jeffrey Epstein never prepared a list of people that were involved with any sexual activities,' Alan Dershowitz, the retired Harvard Law professor, said in an interview. 'That never existed. And he wasn't murdered and there are no sex tapes. So there's not a lot to it.' Even so, conservative influencers are aghast. Right-wing commentators such as Tucker Carlson and Laura Loomer are agitated. House Speaker Mike Johnson and Georgia Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene are demanding more transparency. On Wednesday the President assailed 'weaklings [who] continue forward and do the Democrats work, don't even think about talking of our incredible and unprecedented success, because I don't want their support anymore!' He later called Republicans who persist in emphasizing this issue 'stupid' and 'foolish.' But the issue – 'the only conspiracy Trump considers boring,' in the characterization of The Atlantic – refuses to die. On Wednesday afternoon, the respected Quinnipiac University Poll found that, by a nearly four-to-one margin, Americans disapprove of the Trump administration's handling of the Epstein files. Among Republicans, 40 per cent approve while 36 per cent disapprove. Even so, some of the President's most visible associates are keeping alive a conspiracy theory about a man Mr. Trump insists 'nobody cares about.' The irony is that this affair involves one of the vulnerable elements of the Trump ascendancy – the truth – and, from the viewpoint of those troubled about the administration's response about the Epstein matter, reprises an assessment of mendacity that until now has been the exclusive province of the President's critics. From the 1787 Potemkin Villages of Russia and president James K. Polk's 1846-48 war against Mexico to the 1963 British Profumo sex scandal and George W. Bush's 2003 insistence that Iraq was developing weapons of mass destruction, the truth has been a vital issue in world politics. The broader issue prompted Gilbert and Sullivan, in H.M.S. Pinafore, to have Buttercup sing that 'things are seldom what they seem/Skim milk masquerades as cream.'
