Postcards, photos, Great Trilithon toasting forks and Spinal Tap: Stonehenge as tourist attraction

This article originally appeared on Culture24.

A new exhibition at Stonehenge tells the story of the famous monument as a tourist attraction. Here are ten tasters

The new exhibition looks at another side of the famous stone circle – with an array of fascinating objects from the past few centuries on display.

Victorian Stonehenge porcelain

Highlights include Victorian china, the very first Stonehenge guidebook, printed in 1823 and an array of memorabilia ranging from a Great Trilithon-shaped toasting fork to postcards and snapshots through the decades.

A century of Stonehenge postcards

It's possible Stonehenge was considered a tourist attraction as early as the Roman period, and medieval people certainly visited the site - describing it as one of the wonders of the world. If only they had thought of postcards...

A Victorian tourist attraction

The Wish You Were Here! exhibition begins with Stonehenge in Victorian times when cards in sepia and lurid ‘tints’ made an appearance. The changing face of the monument is then traced through war and peace and the post-war years, both as a tourist attraction and global icon.

Tickets to get in

Though an isolated ruin in the early 19th Century, the ancient monument saw enough visitors to warrant the production of the first guide books and souvenirs. In 1901 an admission charge was introduced to address the cost of increasing amounts of damage and to help pay for a police constable.

Great Trilithon toasting fork

Postcards went on sale in the early 1900s. It was just the beginning; a little further into the century toasting forks made an appearance. 

Spinal Tap

By the 1970s, the growing international recognition of Stonehenge spawned an eclectic range of art, music and popular culture. By the 1980s Spinal Tap got in on the act with their much-vaunted and misguided Stonehenge stage show, an epic song - and this Stonehenge-shaped LP.

The Stonehenge turnstiles

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

Postcards, postcards, postcards...

The archaeologist, broadcaster and writer has been studying Stonehenge and its landscape for 35 years and has been collecting ‘Stonehengiana’ for years. Many items from his personal collection feature in the exhibition.

Comics, jigsaws, plates... You name it, Wish You Were Here! has it

"There are things here that I hope will make visitors smile," adds Richards. "Welcome to the wonderful world of Stonehenge!”

Wish You Were Here! runs from May 1 2015 until March 2016. Admission is included in the entry price for Stonehenge. Visitors are invited to share their experiences on social media with the hashtag #stonehengewishyouwerehere.

What do you think? Leave a comment below.

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New visitor centre for Stonehenge finally opens to the public

Source: http://www.culture24.org.uk/history-and-heritage/archaeology/art525667-postcards-photos-great-trilithon-toasting-forks-and-spinal-tap-ten-stonehenge-tourist-gifts