The origins of the huge “sarsen” stones of Stonehenge have been revealed after a core of one of the megaliths was discovered in the US.
Tests carried out on the core of stones, which were extracted during repair work in the 1950s, indicate the 20-tonne sarsens came from West Woods, near Malborough.
The core was originally removed by a Basingstoke diamond-cutting business as part of measures to use metal rods to reinforce one of the upright stones in 1958.
Employee Robert Phillips kept it in pride of place in his office, which he later took with him when he emigrated to the US, and its existence remained unknown for six decades.
Researchers only became aware of its existence when he expressed a wish for it to be returned on the eve of his 90th birthday.
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