Henry Browne's Guidebook to Stonehenge and Avebury

The earliest guidebook to Stonehenge was published in 1823 and was written by Henry Browne, the first full-time guardian. This position created to ensure the protection of the monument in response to increasing numbers of tourists the previous year, but Henry also took it upon himself to act as the site’s historian. He sold these guidebooks to visitors on site, as well as handmade models of the monument.
Browne’s view of history was heavily influenced by the Bible, and his guide reflects this, describing Stonehenge and Avebury as the few ancient structures that survived Noah's Flood. The title page modestly proclaimed the Stonehenge section as 'The Unprejudiced, Authentic and Highly Interesting ACCOUNT which that Stupendous and Beautiful Edifice STONEHENGE in Wiltshire is found to give of itself.' The account of Avebury drew on William Stukeley’s ideas that the complex had been laid out by Druids in the form of a serpent. The guidebook was available until 1893 when a new edition was written by William Judd, the third guardian appointed at the site. Caption: Susan Greaney (English Heritage)