In September 1915, a Salisbury auction house was selling off country estates and properties. Among the lots was Lot 15: Stonehenge, along with about 30 acres of Wiltshire downland.

The Most Impulsive Bid in History

Cecil Chubb was a 39-year-old barrister who had built a comfortable fortune and, by some accounts, arrived at the auction that day to buy a set of dining chairs for his wife. When the auctioneer announced Lot 15, something caught him. He later told a local newspaper: "While I was in the room, I thought a Salisbury man ought to buy it, and that is how it was done." He placed the winning bid at £6,600 - roughly £587,000 in today's money.

His Wife Was Not Impressed

Chubb was born in Shrewton, a village just four miles from Stonehenge, and had spent his childhood within sight of the stones. He may have felt a personal connection the auction catalogue could not quite capture. His wife Mary, however, was reportedly unmoved by the purchase. The dining chairs, presumably, remained unbought.

He Gave It Away Three Years Later

On 26 October 1918, Cecil Chubb signed Stonehenge over to the British government at a formal handover ceremony. His deed of gift came with conditions: the public must have access, the monument must be maintained, and local residents should pay no more than one shilling for entry. He asked for nothing in return except that the ancient site be cared for. The government made him a baronet in 1919 - he became the 1st Baronet Chubb of Stonehenge, and locals nicknamed him "Viscount Stonehenge."

The Last Private Owner

Cecil Chubb died in 1934 at the age of 58. He remains the last private individual ever to own Stonehenge. Today, the monument draws over 1.3 million visitors a year - each of them standing on land that once sold at auction for £6,600. His deed of gift still governs access to the site to this day.

Related Tags