The Sarsen Circle

Stonehenge
Originally uploaded by Belindas Velvet Memories

The Sarsen Circle, was originally comprised of 30 neatly trimmed upright sandstone blocks of which only 17 are now standing. They originally supported sarsen lintels forming a continuous circle around the top. Each lintel block has been shaped to the curve of the circle. The average length of the rectangular lintels is 3.2 metres. The lintels were fitted end-to end using tongue-and-groove joints, and fitted on top of the standing sarsen with mortice and tenon joints. The Sarsen Circle with its lintels is perhaps the most remarkable feature of Stonehenge in terms of design, precision stonework, and engineering.