Should we have to pay to visit national heritage sites like Stonehenge?

When doing some research (as I plan to go visit it) on Stonehenge, I came across the startling information that you are charged to go see it. I can understand why they would considering it's clearly a significant cash cow, but as the site is thousands of years old, and not a construction of a company or group, like the English Heritage that runs it, and has become a setting in the landscape, is it right for the public to be charged to get up close to it? I'm sure if they asked for donations rather than making it mandatory they would still generate more than enough for maintenance of the site, so I can't accept a justification based on economics. It seems incredibly greedy, arrogant and unfair to charge members of the public to see something like this

If its a small charge I really don't see a problem. The national heritage sites are what arguably keep tourists coming to this country. The upkeep of them needs to be maintained.

The donations that you mention is a decent idea in theory, and your probably right that it would easily make enough to upkeep the site. However, in that, your creating an easy situation to free ride, and by charging folk measly money to visit the site, your spreading the cost over society. You would inevitably end up with those who give 20p, some even nothing. And those that give £5.

Just out of interest, what are they charging per visit?

If you really really care about these things im sure you'd be willing to donate a fiver to maintain it.

Don't see why not, I'd think differently if it were a beach I was being charged to see (there is one near me and they charge you ).

If its a small charge I really don't see a problem. The national heritage sites are what arguably keep tourists coming to this country. The upkeep of them needs to be maintained.

The donations that you mention is a decent idea in theory, and your probably right that it would easily make enough to upkeep the site. However, in that, your creating an easy situation to free ride, and by charging folk measly money to visit the site, your spreading the cost over society. You would inevitably end up with those who give 20p, some even nothing. And those that give £5.

Just out of interest, what are they charging per visit?

I just cannot understand why something you did not build or pay for is then a legitimate object to sell for profit.

Adults - £7.50
Child - £4.50 (5-15 years)
Family - £19.50 (2 adults + up to 3 children)
Concession - £6.80 (Students + over 60s)
Under 5s - Free

Dear god. Prior to my post I expected prices to be, well, not as much put it that way. I stand by my first post, however, these prices are certainly excessive. £7.50 to visit some stones is pricy to say the least.

I would assume that £2.4million upkeep cost is possibly about £2million upkeep, £0.4 administration and wastage. It's government owned. Absolutely no need to be efficient.

I work at a heritage site, and you'd be shocked at the costs of maintaining them. Stongehenge in particular suffers from people damaging the stones and climbing on them, hence why you're not longer allowed to get too close.

Keeping them as historical artefacts in good condition, restoring them, creating and promoting exhibitions, finding volounteers and staff, training said staff, the sheer amount of paperwork, events, ectr. The National Trust runs a very strict budget, hence why you feel it's overpriced.

Yes I think we should. There are currently funding cuts to many heritage sites and this makes situations that are already there worse. These heritage sites have to make and maintain a management plan due to the rules of UNESCO and these can be hard to fund.

If we are talking bout Stonehenge the spending cuts have hit them hard. What people don't understand is that Stonehenge is landscape not just a stone circle and this too has to be maintained. There is the curcus and many burial mounds that have to be maintained as well. The funding cuts have put stop to a major project that should have been happening there. They were going to put a new visitor center there and sort out the road that cuts through the Stonehenge landscape.

Money that is paid does not go to line their pockets. It goes to protect and conserve the monument for future generations and improve the landscape that is there.

Look at this to see what the management plan is and what they have to do. And this is just a summary.

(Good bit of Archaeology revision for me done here Thanks)

As mentioned, they are not struggling with this site in particular. Look at my previous posts where I mention the costs involved and what they earn