ENGLAND AND WALES 



five now remain in position. These ' lintels ' prob- 

 ably formed a continuous architrave (PI. I). The 

 diameter of this outer circle is about 97J feet, 

 inner measurement. The stones used are sarsens 

 or blocks of sandstone, such as are to be found 

 tying about in many parts of the district round 

 Stonehenge. 



Well within this circle stood the five huge 

 trilithons (a-e), arranged in the form of a horse- 

 shoe with its open side to the north-east. Each 

 trilithon, as the name implies, consists of three 

 stones, two of which are uprights, the third being 

 laid horizontally across the top. The height of 

 the trilithons varies from 16 to 21 J feet, the lowest 

 being the two that stand at the open end of the 

 horseshoe, and the highest that which is at the 

 apex. Here again all the stones are sarsens and 

 all are carefully worked. On the top end of each 

 upright of the trilithons is an accurately cut tenon 

 which dovetails into two mortices cut one at each 

 end of the lower surface of the horizontal block. 

 Each upright of the outer circle had a double 

 tenon, and the lintels, besides being morticed to 

 take these tenons, were also dovetailed each into 

 its two neighbours. 



Within the horseshoe and close up to it stand 

 the famous blue-stones, now twelve in number, 

 but originally perhaps more. These stones are 

 not so high as the trilithons, the tallest reaching 

 only 7} feet. They are nearly all of porphyritic 

 c 17 



