Friends in horse-drawn carriage from 1875 is earliest photo ever taken at Stonehenge

BOFFINS think they have discovered the earliest family photograph taken at Stonehenge.

English Heritage asked the public to send in their pictures to mark 100 years of the prehistoric monument being publicly owned.

They looked through more than 1,000 photographs and think some images from 1875, showing a family dressed in their finery, are the oldest.

One of the pictures shows the group sitting on the stones, which is now only allowed on special occasions.

"They're wearing fashionable outfits and hats," said English Heritage historian Susan Greaney.

"Right up until the 1920s and '30s people did dress up for days out like this, in their Sunday best, suits and hats."

The images will feature with more than 140 others in the exhibition Your Stonehenge.

The exhibition also includes the newest image of the site, taken by famous photographer Martin Parr.

The photo is of an unknown couple kissing while taking a selfie against the backdrop of the stones during the 2019 Autumn Equinox.

"The exhibition shows how photography has changed - the rise of the selfie stick and the smartphone and how taking a photograph is a very different thing now," curator Ms Greaney said.

She said: "The way that people pose - people's faces have got closer to the camera until they are taking a picture of themselves more than they are of Stonehenge."

She hopes: "It would be quite nice if somebody comes forward and says 'We've got an earlier one'."

Ten pictures in the exhibition were chosen by Parr, who hopes to track down the pair in the selfie.

The earliest photograph of Stonehenge is believed to date back 22 years earlier.

Your Stonehenge - 150 Years Of Personal Photos runs from December 12 2019 to late August 2020 at Stonehenge.

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