School Visits

Learning at Stonehenge Inspiring the next generation

We're transforming the way children and young people learn at Stonehenge - and, as a charity, we need your support to do it. 

At Stonehenge, we welcome thousands of learners every year, sparking curiosity and creativity. That's why we're expanding Stonehenge's educational offer with sustainable, state-of-the-art spaces designed for all learners. 

Donate today to inspire the next generation. 

Our vision

Stonehenge is a world-famous monument which embodies the enduring power of community and collaboration, inspiring future generations to connect with—and care for—our precious, irreplaceable past.


Currently, we welcome over 60,000 schoolchildren to Stonehenge each year, receiving outstanding feedback from both teachers and students. However, with increasing demand and a shortage of dedicated educational facilities, our ability to offer a wide range of activities has been limited.


This year, we’re breaking ground on a new state-of-the-art facility that will unlock the educational potential of this remarkable World Heritage Site. The Stonehenge Learning Centre will be home to inclusive, accessible and sustainable spaces including a Digital Studio, Learning Studio and STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) Discovery Lab, where we’ll deliver a trailblazing new ‘STEM in Heritage’ programme.


Later this year, we’ll also begin constructing an immersive Neolithic learning space that’s inspired by archaeological evidence from the surrounding landscape.


We’re creating a world-leading education offer to enable children and young people to connect with our past like never before – and we’re only able to do that thanks to donations from our generous supporters. Stonehenge has always been a place of innovation, imagination and collaboration. With your support, we can continue to harness this heritage to inspire learners for many years to come.

Download the PDF to find out more about the project

Stonehenge Learning Centre

Artist's impression images by Secchi Smith

  • Learning centre

    A new dedicated Learning Centre will transform our ability to deliver best-in-class educational experiences for students, with our award winning, innovative and oversubscribed Neolithic Life Discovery Visit at the heart of our offer.

  • Discovery Lab

    Our Learning Centre will feature a Discovery Lab where learners can be hands-on uncovering the secrets of Stonehenge, as part of a new STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) heritage programme. 

  • Neolithic Hall

    We're using traditional methods and matierals to build an authentic Neolithic building big enough for 30 students. Inside, learners will be transported back in time as they gather around the hearth, handle replica tools and discover what everyday life was like thousands of years ago. 

CLICK TO ENLARGE Artist's impression of STEM Learning Lab

CLICK TO ENLARGE Artist's impression of STEM Learning Lab

CLICK TO ENLARGE Artist's impression of STEM Learning Lab
CLICK TO ENLARGE Artist's impression of STEM Learning Lab
CLICK TO ENLARGE Artist's impression of Learning Centre courtyard

CLICK TO ENLARGE Artist's impression of Learning Centre courtyard

CLICK TO ENLARGE Artist's impression of Learning Centre courtyard
CLICK TO ENLARGE Artist's impression of Learning Centre courtyard
CLICK TO ENLARGE Artist's impression of "Neolithic classroom"

CLICK TO ENLARGE Artist's impression of "Neolithic classroom"

CLICK TO ENLARGE Artist's impression of "Neolithic classroom"
CLICK TO ENLARGE Artist's impression of "Neolithic classroom"
CLICK TO ENLARGE Ground Floor Plan

CLICK TO ENLARGE Ground Floor Plan

CLICK TO ENLARGE Ground Floor Plan
CLICK TO ENLARGE Ground Floor Plan
CLICK TO ENLARGE Location Plan

CLICK TO ENLARGE Location Plan

CLICK TO ENLARGE Location Plan
CLICK TO ENLARGE Location Plan
STEM learning at Stonehenge

STEM learning at Stonehenge

STEM learning at Stonehenge
STEM learning at Stonehenge
Discovery Visit at Stonehenge

Discovery Visit at Stonehenge

Discovery Visit at Stonehenge
Discovery Visit at Stonehenge

Learn more

  • A Sustainable Design

    Environmental sustainability is central to the project. The new Learning Centre is set to be a low carbon structure, built using natural and locally sourced materials, with minimal energy consumption, showcasing English Heritage's dedication to environmental sustainability. The centre will be designed to the highest sustainability standards and will integrate with the landscape through its materials and design, highlighting the charity's environmental sustainability policy.


    The Learning Centre will prioritise natural and compostable materials to reduce its carbon footprint, with a focus on sourcing locally wherever possible, and best practice in sustainable building design, construction and operation, further emphasizing the charity's commitment to environmental sustainability.


    The Neolithic Hall will be made of materials that would have been available in pre-history, and these materials will be sourced locally: the roof will be thatched, the walls and structure made from locally coppiced timber, the daub and limewashed walls will be made from lime stablilised earth from Wiltshire chalk deposits.


    These innovative and sustainable buildings will be a source of inspiration for learners and exploring their engineering features will be incorporated into the learning programme.


    The Learning Centre will provide a family of learning spaces wrapped around a secluded courtyard. Inspired by the way Stonehenge creates a strong sense of enclosure in Wiltshire’s open grasslands, the Learning Centre will use a colonnade of sweet chestnut posts to define a safe place for learning in the landscape. Its design reflects the charity's commitment to environmental sustainability. Constructed from monolithic clay block walls, timber frame and wood fibre insulation it has a low embodied carbon. It will operate as a free-running building in summer with natural ventilation and night-time cooling ensuring minimal operational carbon. Underfloor heating with an air source heat pump will only be necessary during the coldest times of the year.

  • Excellence in Inclusivity

    The Learning Centre will be a beacon for inclusive design for English Heritage and the wider sector.

    Stonehenge’s provision for visitors with disabilities is award-winning and we will design the Learning Centre and Neolithic Hall to continue this trajectory. 

    The site is step-free, and on a single level with fully compliant gradients, ramps, and slopes. Collaboration with Access and Inclusivity experts has been a priority during the design process, with key challenges identified and addressed. Codesign sessions will be held with young people with diverse needs to ensure that the fit-out, including furniture and fittings, supports an inclusive learning environment. The goal is to create a space that is welcoming and accessible to all, regardless of ability or background.

    Working collaboratively with specialist access consultants and SEND learners, the project will deliver excellence in inclusivity – not only creating an accessible building but delivering inclusive spaces and programmes so that all users will feel welcome, comfortable and engaged at Stonehenge.

  • Timeline

     

    Autumn 2023 Submit planning application
    March 2024 Planning permission granted
    Summer 2025 Learning Centre and Neolithic Hall - work starts
    Autumn 2026 Launch 
  • Project updates

    English Heritage has been granted planning permission for new learning facilities at Stonehenge to enhance the existing education we currently provide. 

Mrs Carole Dean, Headteacher at Stonehenge School

“As careers and jobs change, it is vital that we invest in up-to-date approaches to stimulate an interest in science, technology, engineering and mathematics by demonstrating how the modern world of innovation and discovery relies on a combination of all four subjects. This means that we need quality provision, such as the plans for this STEM Learning Lab, Digital Production Studio and STEM in Heritage learning offer at Stonehenge, to help our pupils understand their society and heritage, and gain the key ingredients that they need to become successful in their future careers and worlds of work.”

Mrs Charlotte Harmer, Headteacher at Larkhill School

“The development of a new Learning Centre will mean that English Heritage is able to offer a much more inclusive environment for all learners, including those with special educational needs and disabilities. The opportunity for our pupils to have an even broader experience of Stonehenge which includes STEM links is one that we very much look forward to with the development of a STEM Learning Centre.”

Dr Nick Merriman, OBE, Chief Executive

"We’re creating a world-leading education offer to enable children and young people to connect with our past like never before – and we’re only able to do that thanks to donations from our generous supporters. Stonehenge has always been a place of innovation, imagination and collaboration. With your support, we can continue to harness this heritage to inspire learners for many years to come."

The Rt Hon John Glen MP for Salisbury

"English Heritage’s plans to enhance the education offer at Stonehenge with new inclusive and sustainably built facilities, alongside a whole new STEM learning programme is fantastic news, both for local children, learners from further afield and for Wiltshire as a whole.”

With your support, we can harness heritage to inspire learners for many years to come. 

Your donation will support the learning centre and our work at Stonehenge. 

Thank you to the Learning at Stonehenge project donors including:
Garfield Weston Foundation
Kusuma Trust
National Highways
Clore Duffield Foundation
Wolfson Foundation
Rebhi Barqawi
The Syder Foundation
and all other generous supporters.