Found this splendid old photo the other day -- dating from 1877. There is no particularly scientific reason for posting this -- I just think it's a very attractive picture!
There are other illustrations (all paintings etc) from the early 1800's which look very similar, so nothing much changed during the nineteenth century. The earliest photo was taken in 1853. Stone 56 was leaning at that crazy angle until it was placed upright by Gowland in 1901. Much of the other restoration work was done in the 1950's under the direction of Richard Atkinson.
That desire to "repair" Stonehenge was in some ways a pity, since it contributed to the belief that when it was in its original state it was "immaculate" and that it was the ravages of time that had made it ruinous.
I too collect 19 to early 20th cent Stonehenge ephemera.
ReplyDeleteThat is a splendid photo I love the sense of space and bleakness and a slightly unusual viewpoint.
Thomas the Rhymer