Stonehenge visitor centre: scaffolding comes down to unveil sleek structure The visitor centre will be open by December this year It is the biggest ever building project undertaken by Heritage England The site is strategically placed to be out of sight from the famous stones A new £27m visitor centre at Stonehenge, three decades in the making, has finally been unveiled to the world after scaffolding surrounding the sleek structure was taken down. The attraction has been plagued with years of planning rows, funding problems and a number of projects were scrapped following government cost-cutting. But yesterday the steel frames masking the project were finally removed to reveal a single-storey building which is hidden out of sight of the ancient monument in a natural hollow. Grand unveiling: The £27m single storey building is finally due to open in December Final touches: The building, in Wiltshire, has been carefully designed to blend in with the famous local landscape Sleek: The centre promises to give visitors a 360 degree 'virtual view' of standing inside the stones The long-awaited centre promises to give visitors a 360 degree virtual experience of 'standing in the stones' and is the largest capital project ever undertaken by English Heritage. It also promises a gallery in which theories about Stonehenge will be presented alongside prehistoric artefacts. The visitor centre is a major part of the redevelopment of the World Heritage Site and is carefully situated out of sight of the stones. Set to open on December 18, the attraction will welcome visitors and pilgrims who make the journey to Amesbury for the winter solstice. Hidden: Despite the size of the new building it will remain out of site from Stonehenge due its position in a natural hollow Room with a view: The interior of the building will feature a virtual 360 degree view from inside the neolithic circle Almost 300 archaeological finds from the site, which have been loaned from a number of museums, will also go on public display, many for the first time. The first exhibition will examine 800 years of theories and debate about who constructed Stonehenge and when, from 12th century legends to radiocarbon dating reports in the 1950s. Down the road: An aerial view of the site shows how developers have managed to place the site nearby, without spoiling the immediate surroundings of Stonhenge Reclaimed: Grass is beginning to reclaim the now covered A344 which was closed as part of the redevelopment Out of sight: The building is placed strategically 1.5 miles away from the famous site so that it can't be seen form the stones Imposing: The frame of the building takes inspiration from the looming nature of the giant and mysterious neolithic structure Simon Thurley, chief executive of English Heritage, said: 'This world famous monument, perpetually described as a mystery, finally has a place in which to tell its story. The exhibition will change the way people experience and think about Stonehenge forever - beyond the cliches and towards a meaningful inquiry into an extraordinary human achievement in the distant past. It will put at its centre the individuals associated with its creation and use and I am very proud with what we have to unveil to the world in December. Before and after: The new site, shown above, drastically changed the original landscape around Stonehenge, below, but is designed in such a way that visitors at the actual site will not notice