Thousands of people celebrate the summer solstice at Stonehenge

The organisers, English Heritage, the guardian of Stonehenge, said the event had been "a peaceful and enjoyable" celebration.

A huge crowd watched as the sun rose above the ancient monument at around 4.52am and shone over the Heel Stone into the circle.

As in previous years drummers kept up a steady beat as the excited onlookers watched the sun rise above the monument on Salisbury Plain.

As the sun rose above the distant horizon towards Larkhill and Durrington, many visitors held up their smartphones to capture the moment.

Kate Logan, the director of Stonehenge, said: We'd like to thank everyone who attended for making it such a peaceful and enjoyable event. We are pleased with the way it has gone."

She estimated that this year's summer solstice was watched by up to 10,000 visitors. The numbers were slightly up on the 9,500 who came to last year's event.

The 4,500-year-old celebration, which dates from the Neolithic era, traditionally heralds the start of summer.

These days, it typically draws in a diverse range of visitors, including druids and pagans with some wearing flowers in their hair.

The event is well-known for drawing in people from almost every creed, with Rastafarians, Shamans, Hare Krishnas and other minority religions attending the bash.

On a cold and chilly early morning, the crowds wrapped up in coats, rugs, blankets to keep warm.

Some huddled up next to the huge sarsen stones in the circle, or crept into sleeping bags to sleep before waking for the dawn.

Many were seen sharing food and drink at the site, watched the musical entertainment or danced in time to the beating of drums.

Among the visitors were guest house owners Nick and Angie, from Amesbury, who said: "We have lived here for 16 years and this is the first time that we have come to Stonehenge for the summer solstice.

"We have been awake since 2am. There is a lot of people and there has been a good atmosphere."

Another attendee at the event was 85-year-old Margaret Wilton, from Midsomer Norton, who was celebrating her birthday.

She had been brought along by her family, and said: "It's my first time here but it's something that I've always wanted to do.

"My daughter, Rhian, and son, Howard, arranged it for me as a surprise for my birthday."

Security workers at the site said they had escorted some fence-jumpers out of the area, and there was a large police presence.

As in previous years, people were banned from bringing alcohol and drugs into the area where the celebrations were taking place.

Many people arrived early and stayed in their vehicles with the engines running to keep warm as they waited for the dawn.

The ancient festival celebrates the power of the sun and traditionally marks the first day of summer.

It is believed people have flocked to Stonehenge to celebrate the solstice for around 5,000 years since the stones were first brought to the site.

Rollo Maughfling, the Stonehenge officer for the Council of British Druid Order, led the ceremony to welcome the sunrise.

He said: "It involves calling on the four corners of the Earth and the elements they represent.

"We start with the east, followed by south, west and north as we go round in a circle.

"The invocations call for peace in the world and then we bless the earth, the flowers and nature."

The beauty and power of the summer solstice at Stonehenge has been celebrated in a new poem by a leading writer as part of a unique project to stimulate literary creativity around the country.

Places of Poetry is designed to inspire people to create new poems about the environment and history around them, which are then “pinned” to a specially-created digital map for others to see.

This summer some of the country’s best poets are working with the public at beautiful locations to inspire them to pen their own poems.

Poet Will Harris was moved by his time with volunteers at Stonehenge, and produced a new poem describing how the ancient monument encourages people to think about the movement of time and their memories of loved ones.

Mr Harris also worked with a group of asylum-seekers at Avebury, and said: “Poetry helps people make sense of complicated experiences.

"I love working with the public because poetry come alive when you share it.

“Watching other people create their own poetry is really liberating for me. Poetry is not “high art” or elitist, anyone can create it.”

Mr Harris, whose first full poetry collection, RENDANG, is forthcoming from Granta in 2020, also worked with members of the community of the Harbour Project, a drop-in centre in Swindon for refugees, at Avebury.

He used the symbolism of the stone circles, and their mystery, as well as ideas about national identity to help people start writing.

The Places of Poetry project is funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council, The National Lottery Heritage Fund and Arts Council England, and is made possible by partnerships with the Ordnance Survey, The Poetry Society and National Poetry Day.

For more information and writing tips, visit www.placesofpoetry.org.uk.

Before solstice, by Will Harris

Nearly the middle of June, the

middle of the year, when light at

half-past two makes the stones,

though they can’t talk, seem to –

you know especially when you see

the mist rolling in from the hills

opposite, says Glyn, and step over

the ropes to where the bluestone

altar maybe would have been

and time doesn’t stop but there’s

this moment – once you feel it

it doesn’t go – when time is

fluid, vocable, very slow – the

middle of June, the middle of the

year, and you just stand there

in the stones thinking or saying

to yourself you’re not here but

I’ll be seeing you soon.