21 June 1928 : Some visitors are spending the night in their cars while many others are having midnight picnics

Hundreds of visitors from all parts of the world were sleeping last night around the grey monoliths of Stonehenge, Wiltshire. They were waiting for the dawn of Midsummer Day. It is said that if the sky is cloudless the first ray of sunlight on that day strikes through the centre archway and lingers momentarily in a blood-red glow on the altar stone.

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“The scene is like a miniature Derby,” a resident in the district told a reporter last night. “Some of the people are spending the night in their cars, others are camping out in the open country. Coffee-stalls have been set up, and with the aid of spirit stoves many of the visitors are having midnight picnics. Charabanc parties from neighbouring towns will arrive throughout the night.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest A car drives past an AA box towards Stonehenge, 1930. Photograph: Corbis via Getty Images

We anticipate that a crowd of between 2,000 and 3,000 will be massed around the stones when the sun rises. Last year the spectacle was spoilt by a tiny cloud, which obscured the sun just at the critical moment. This time we hope for better luck. It is a bright clear night, and our local weather experts promise us a cloudless dawn.”



