Turner Prize winning artist Jeremy Deller helped English Heritage mark 100 years since Stonehenge was donated to the nation with a day of celebrations at the ancient stones. Curated by Deller, Friday, 26 October 2018 was filled with music and art, an inflatable Stonehenge, an anniversary tea party, and a few surprises. 

The centenary celebrations saw the premiere of a new piece of music performed within the stone circle. Commissioned by English Heritage, the piece was a collaboration between Jeremy Deller, composer Matt Rogers, and the contemporary music ensemble, the London Sinfonietta. The piece for brass and percussion was performed at intervals throughout the day. It can be heard here. 

Another highlight was the debut at Stonehenge of Sacrilege, Deller’s inflatable replica Stonehenge. The artist described Sacrilege as a light-hearted and playful way for visitors to “get reacquainted with ancient Britain with your shoes off.” Sacrilege was loaned to English Heritage by The Store X Vinyl Factory and every visitor that day received a special ticket designed by Deller.

During the pandemic, Mercury Music Prize nominee Sam Lee collaborated with The Nest Collective and English Heritage to create ‘Songs of England'. This digital collection features 12 traditional songs and videos that transport viewers to historic sites like Stonehenge, Dover Castle, and Hadrian's Wall, offering an immersive armchair escape into England's history during lockdown.  

Sam Lee returned to Stonehenge later in 2021 for three new recordings of traditional folk songs. In one track, Stonehenge forms the backdrop for a rendition of ‘John Barleycorn’.  The landscape’s burial mounds a fitting match for this dark allegorical tale of man, buried in a field, who grows again only to be cut down and ground like barley to make beer. 

Sam Lee remarked, “It was a great privilege to create this collection, taking inspiration from the epic historic sites that English Heritage cared for. We hoped these songs would inspire a fresh connection with the history and spirit of these remarkable places and engage people everywhere with tradition, stories of the land around them, and the folk history of our ancestors.” 

The Moon Shines Bright 

John Barleycorn  

Awake Awake Sweet England 

Ahead of releasing his new album ‘Carve The Runes Then Be Content With Silence,’ Erland Cooper unveiled a stunning video filmed at Stonehenge. The monument serves as an ideal backdrop for a project centred on themes of time, patience, and human creativity—concepts beautifully embodied by this iconic prehistoric landmark. A beautiful ode to the famous stone circle, the film was directed by Simon Lane and features Freya Goldmark on violin and Sergio Serra Lopez on cello.  

"I’ve recorded inside Neolithic cairns in Orkney but to stand, at dusk, inside the ancient stone circle while music resonated around like a murmuration of sound, was a precious experience that shall live long in my memory. I read recently that archaeologists have just discovered the Altar stone may have come from Scottish highlands, so to imagine these musical notes celebrating a similar journey in melody, poetry and landscape, feels ever more fitting. Even the crows seemed to gather to listen, giving offerings of moss and sticks to Freya and Sergio who performed as if it was a ceremony in itself. What a wonderful celebration of time and place and perhaps the largest known world stage I shall perform on, certainly the oldest.”  Erland Cooper, 2024.

Appearing on Inside Culture with Mary Beard, Vanessa Regrave performed lines from Act 5, Scene 2 of Shakespeare's Antony and Cleopatra.

This stunning performance can be viewed on the BBC's website.

Stonehenge has long captivated poets and artists alike, serving as a profound source of inspiration for creative expression. On National Poetry Day 2020, we celebrated this ancient monument with a full day dedicated to poems inspired by its mystique and history. Among the notable contributions was a poem crafted by @hollycorfield, who served as the poet in residence for the Loop in the Landscape project in 2019. This initiative sought to deepen our connection to the ancient Stonehenge landscape, merging poetry with the rich narratives of the area, including its ties to the nearby town of Amesbury.

Martin Parr played a significant role in the 2020 English Heritage exhibition "Your Stonehenge," which showcased 150 years of visitor photos at the iconic site.

The exhibition displayed 148 selected images from over 1,500 submissions from members of the public, highlighting personal moments at Stonehenge, from joyous family gatherings to poignant farewells. The exhibition not only celebrated the recent history of Stonehenge but also invited visitors to connect with their own memories of the site.

Parr, known for his insightful documentation of British life, expressed his admiration for the amateur snapshots, noting how they reflect the evolving yet enduring relationship people have with the monument.

His contribution included co-curating the collection and capturing the final image on display: an unknown couple kissing in front of the stones while, in true 2019 fashion, holding a selfie stick aloft.

“I loved looking at the images that people sent in,” Parr said. “They really show what the stones mean to people and how our relationship with a site like Stonehenge has changed and yet stayed the same through time.”