Tussauds plans cut-price visitor centre at Stonehenge

A radical new scheme for the ancient rocks of Stonehenge is under consideration by English Heritage and the Tussauds Group.

Tussauds’ internal design team is evaluating plans for a new visitor centre.

The team was appointed last year to design, build, finance and operate the centre (DW 30 August 1996). Detailed design plans are expected to be released later this month.

An application for around 20m of Lottery cash submitted to the Millennium Commission by English Heritage was due to be considered by commissioners this week.

The total sum required has been halved since changes to EH’s previous plans, to about 40m, with Tussauds, EH, and the National Trust providing the balance if the Millennium Commission bid is successful.

A number of visitor centre designs have been cancelled including those by Edward Cullinan Architects and the then James Gardner 3D Concepts (DW 26 July 1996).

The overall plan now involves the construction of a visitor centre at Larkhill, a site closer to the stones than the previous site proposed at Countess Roundabout.