What might make a good wedding anniversary present for your wife, do you think, presuming you have one? Jewellery, perhaps? Perfume? Dinner at a swanky restaurant? How about 30 acres of Wiltshire and the world's most famous Neolithic monument? Possibly not.
But that's what Salisbury man Cecil Chubb decided on a whim when he found himself at Messrs Knight, Franck and Rutley's auction in the Palace Theatre on this day in 1915.
Stonehenge had been in the possession of the Antrobus family for generations. But the sole heir, Lieutenant Edmond Antrobus, was killed in action in 1914, just 20 days after arriving in France. With him, the family line died, and the estate containing Stonehenge was put up for sale.
Subscribe to MoneyWeek
Subscribe to MoneyWeek today and get your first six magazine issues absolutely FREE
Sign up to Money Morning
Don't miss the latest investment and personal finances news, market analysis, plus money-saving tips with our free twice-daily newsletter
Don't miss the latest investment and personal finances news, market analysis, plus money-saving tips with our free twice-daily newsletter
Cecil paid the bargain price of £6,600 (the equivalent of some £475,000 in today's money) for the monument and associated bit of Wiltshire. Unfortunately for Cecil, his wife wasn't too enthused by her romantic gift. So, after enjoying it for just three years, Cecil decided to give it to the nation. And in return, Cecil became Sir Cecil.
But his gift did come with a few conditions, including that the entrance fee should be a "reasonable sum per head not exceeding one shilling for each visit". In 1921, local residents were guaranteed free access in a deal between Parliament and the local Parish Council. To this day, 30,000 locals are entitled to a pass giving them free access. The rest us have to pay rather more than a shilling: the current entrance fee for adults stands at £21.50.
-
Zhang Shengwei: the godfather of the vape industryProfile Zhang Shengwei quietly grew his online vape shop and now gives Big Tobacco a run for its money. Can he survive the backlash from regulators?
-
Tomorrow’s Asian giants while they are still small companiesOpinion Nitin Bajaj, portfolio manager of the Fidelity Asian Values trust, picks three Asian companies to invest in.
