Stonehenge tourism role celebrated

A new exhibition is set to reveal the history of Stonehenge – as a tourist attraction.

The Wish You Were Here! exhibition at the World Heritage Site includes the very first Stonehenge guidebook, printed in 1823, and memorabilia ranging from a toasting fork and a 19th century vase featuring the standing stones to postcards through the ages.

English Heritage, which looks after the Neolithic monument, said it may have been considered a tourist attraction as early as Roman times, and medieval people are known to have visited the site, describing it as one of the wonders of the world.

The new exhibition begins with Stonehenge in Victorian times, when it was an isolated ruin, but one which saw sufficient visitors to produce the first guidebooks and souvenirs, and traces its development as a tourist attraction through to the 21st Century.

An admission charge was first introduced in 1901 to help with the costs of increasing amounts of damage and to pay for a police constable to protect the site on Salisbury Plain.

From the early 1900s postcards went on sale, and have since charted the changing face of Stonehenge and its surroundings.

And from the 1970s onwards growing international recognition saw it feature in an eclectic mix of art, music and popular culture from spoof rockumentary This Is Spinal Tap to comic book hero Thor.

“Anyone visiting Stonehenge today is part of a long tradition,” curator and archaeologist Julian Richards said.

“I am fascinated by how Stonehenge has been experienced by visitors over the years and the way in which it has been used as an inspiration for art and music.

“I have been collecting ‘Stonehengiana’ for years, and I am delighted that the collection is now to appear at its natural home. There are things here that I hope will make visitors smile.”

Stonehenge general manager Kate Davies said: “We are very excited to launch Wish You Were Here! and tell the more recent history of Stonehenge – as the place visitors have long been inspired by.

“We want today’s visitors to take away a real sense of fun from this exhibition and hope that they are inspired to share their experiences – whether by traditional postcard or by social media.”

The exhibition opens on May 1.

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