Express & Star

In Pictures: Stonehenge through the decades

It is 100 years since Stonehenge was donated to the nation.

Published
The sun rising over Stonehenge

Friday marks 100 years since Stonehenge was donated to the nation, and English Heritage is holding a day of celebrations.

Here we take a look at the ancient monument through the years to mark the milestone.

Musicians rehearsing at Stonehenge in Wiltshire ahead of English Heritage's celebrations marking 100 years since Stonehenge was donated to the nation
Musicians rehearse at Stonehenge in Wiltshire ahead of English Heritage’s celebrations marking 100 years since it was donated to the nation (Christopher Ison/English Heritage/PA)
Musicians rehearsing at Stonehenge in Wiltshire ahead of English Heritage's celebrations marking 100 years since Stonehenge was donated to the nation
The centenary will see a new piece of music performed at the stone circle throughout the day, organisers said (Christopher Ison/English Heritage/PA)
Musicians rehearsing at Stonehenge in Wiltshire ahead of English Heritage's celebrations marking 100 years since Stonehenge was donated to the nation
The music is a collaboration between Jeremy Deller, composer Matt Rogers and the London Sinfonietta ensemble (Christopher Ison/English Heritage/PA)
Stonehenge whilst its sarsen stones were buttressed with timber to prevent their collapse in 1913
Stonehenge pictured in 1913, when its sarsen stones were buttressed with timber to prevent their collapse (PA)
Members of the Haemus Lodge (Brighton and Worthing District of Sussex) during their mid-summer ceremony at Stonehenge in 1949
Members of the Haemus Lodge (Brighton and Worthing District of Sussex) during their midsummer ceremony at Stonehenge in June 1949 (PA)
Edinburgh University Professor Richard Atkinson, left, looking for evidence of the origins of Stonehenge in 1958
Edinburgh University Professor Richard Atkinson, left, looks for evidence of the origins of Stonehenge in April 1958 (PA)
The final stone being put in place during the restoration of Stonehenge on 09/07/1958
The final stone being put in place during the restoration of Stonehenge in summer 1958 (PA)
Photo dated 30/06/1959 of what is known to the Ministry of Works as No. 91 Station Stone undergoing preparations to be straightened at Stonehenge
Work to straighten ‘No 91 Station Stone’ in June 1959 (PA)
Stonehenge in Wiltshire in 1968
Stonehenge, pictured in May 1968 (PA)
People wearing white robes during a procession in 1981 celebrating the Midsummer Solstice at Stonehenge
A 1981 procession celebrating the Midsummer Solstice at Stonehenge (PA)
A 1985 photo of people chanting and holding hands ahead of Summer Solstice celebrations at Stonehenge
Summer Solstice celebrations in June 1985 (PA)
Police in 1985 preventing people from reaching Stonehenge during a clash against a banned pop festival
Police prevent people from reaching Stonehenge during a clash over a banned pop festival in summer 1985 (PA)
A woman holding a baby as she is led away by a policeman after violence erupted due to people attempting to hold a banned pop festival at Stonehenge in 1985
A woman with a baby is led away by a police officer after violence erupted (PA)
Barbed wire preventing people from reaching Stonehenge in 1985 after a pop festival was banned
Barbed wire prevents people from reaching the stones (PA)
Police in 1989 monitoring roads around Stonehenge to prevent people from gathering to celebrate the Summer Solstice
Police monitored roads around Stonehenge to prevent people from gathering to celebrate the Summer Solstice in 1989 (Barry Batchelor/PA)
Army cadets and members of the Royal British Legion forming a circle of remembrance at Stonehenge in 2000
Army cadets and members of the Royal British Legion formed a circle of remembrance on November 11 2000 (Chris Ison/PA)
People celebrating the Summer Solstice in 2002
People celebrate the Summer Solstice in 2002 (Chris Ison/PA)
A member of the Sport England team taking the Queen's Baton Relay past Stonehenge in 2005
A member of the Sport England team takes the Queen’s Baton Relay past Stonehenge in April 2005 (Chris Young/PA)
Arthur Pendragon watching the sunrise at Stonehenge in 2005
Arthur Pendragon watches the sunrise at Stonehenge in December 2005 (Chris Young/PA)
Crowds gather to celebrate the Winter Solstice in 2009
Crowds gather to celebrate the Winter Solstice in 2009 (Ben Birchall/PA)
Michael Johnson holding the Olympic Flame at Stonehenge in 2012
Michael Johnson holds the Olympic Flame at Stonehenge in 2012 (Danny Lawson/PA)
Then prime minister David Cameron visiting Stonehenge in 2014
Then-prime minister David Cameron at Stonehenge in December 2014 (Steve Parsons/PA)
A woman wearing a colourful head-dress at Stonehenge during the 2018 Summer Solstice
A woman wears a colourful head-dress at Stonehenge during this year’s Summer Solstice (Ben Birchall/PA)
Sorry, we are not accepting comments on this article.