Stonehenge 100

In 1918, local barrister Cecil Chubb and his wife Mary gifted Stonehenge to the nation. This public-spirited decision marked a turning point in the history of Stonehenge and its fortunes.

A programme of restoration began almost immediately, starting a centenary of care and conservation at Stonehenge which continues to this day.

Throughout 2018 we celebrated the centenary of the gift, discovering what this iconic monument means to people today.

Your Stonehenge Stories

We wanted to know what Stonehenge means to visitors, and invited anyone who had visited the monument in the last 100 years to share the stories that captured their time at Stonehenge.

The result is an incredible archive of moving stories and powerful memories of Stonehenge. Many were on display in an exhibition, Your Stonehenge, which was open at the Stonehenge Visitor Centre until August 2020.

More about the exhibition

The Centenary

To celebrate this centenary, we gathered 100s of local people together for a special photo. Families, Rainbows, Brownies, Guides, Cubs, Scouts, schools and the military came together at Stonehenge, accompanied by a brass band and morris dancers, for a fun, celebratory occasion. The community gathered at sunrise to be a part of this special film and the on-going story of Stonehenge. We'd like to thank everyone who got up at dawn to be involved.

A generous donation

On 26 October 1918, Stonehenge was offered by Cecil and Mary Chubb to Sir Alfred Mond, First Commissioner of Works, as a gift for the nation. Cecil Chubb had bought Stonehenge for £6600 at a local auction just three years previously.

Prior to 1918, the monument was propped up with wooden poles and some of the stones were in danger of collapse. Increasing numbers of visitors through the late 19th century had led to damage, with people regularly chipping the stones for souvenirs and scratching their names on the monument. Although this was largely halted by the introduction of an admission charge and attendant policeman from 1901 onwards, the monument itself was still in a perilous condition.

Thanks to the Chubbs' generosity, Stonehenge was saved. English Heritage’s predecessors, The Office of Works, began to care for the monument, restoring many of the fallen stones and undertaking a major survey and programme of excavation. Today, the ancient monument is looked after by English Heritage on behalf of the nation.

Discover the full story