In 1915 you could have purchased Stonehenge, along with 6400 acres on the Salisbury Plain and a sumptuous country home. for 6600. I learned this from a recent article in the British journal Country Life, which documents the life and property of England's upper class, and carried the original adverts for the property's sale more than a century ago.
The oddest thing from today's perspective is according to the 1915 brochure the Stonehenge portion of the property was really an afterthought. Take a look at the full ad:
Fortunately the lot containing Stonehenge was purchased for 6600 British Pounds (somewhere between $650,000 and $4 million in today's dollars) by Cecil Chubb who gifted it to the nation in 1918. Born in a nearby village, the son of the local saddler and harness maker, Chubb attended Christ College, Cambridge and became a wealthy barrister.
The Country Life article also includes a picture of the site and neighboring roadway taken in 1977.
1977 was the year THC along with the future Mrs THC visited Stonehenge. Arriving before the site opened in the morning, Mrs THC ventured onto the property where she was evicted by a local policeman. Somewhere we have photos and someday we may find them.
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