Stonehenge showcased more than 5,000 Dahlias for 180 years ago Victorian shows
About 180 years ago, paying tribute to a show of its time, Stonehenge showcased more than 5,000 dahlias. They were arranged in the style of a traditional flower show, at the center of the visitor attraction for a three-day exhibition.
Local members of the National Dahlia Society, along with clubs from Wiltshire, organized this display. English Heritage has also reintroduced the Dahlia competition – the “Stonehenge New Hero” will be chosen.
In the 1840s, the annual flower show attracted crowds of up to 10,000 people, featuring cricket matches and brass bands. In 1842, Devizes and Wiltshire Gazette wrote, “Such a scene of delight was never before witnessed on Salisbury Plain… Parties of well-dressed ladies were dispersed in all directions.”
It became so popular that it was said, “There should be no vehicle, booth, or stand within 50 yards of the stones.” At that time, Stonehenge wasn’t a tourist attraction; it was one of the main transport routes and a local milepost, but not much more. As the Dahlia show came, more and more people flocked to it.
“You could argue that this is part of the beginnings of tourism at Stonehenge,” says English Heritage historian, Louise Croll.
To recreate the original events, massive floral sculptures have been created by nine local groups, including the Devizes Flower Club, Winterslow Flower Club, and Warminster and Wylye Flower Clubs. The Salisbury Flower Club has constructed an 8-foot (2.4-meter) tall trilithon structure.
Club chairman Gill Pelton said it took seven hours to create: “Our piece is a small tribute to our ancestors in recognition of their wonderful heritage.”
Visitors will now be able to evaluate and choose the new “Stonehenge Hero” – in the 1840s, it was a new variety of Dahlia.
Ms. Croll believes they’ll find another worthy winner: “The original show was an occasion for people to come together and parade with their finery, and we hope that people will do the same at the end of this week.”
“The floral sculptures give us a real taste of what the original show might have been like, and while the original Stonehenge hero may no longer be in cultivation, with so many fantastic varieties to choose from for ‘best in show,’ I know that, with the help of our visitors, we’ll be able to find a worthy successor.”
Visitors can also strike a pose in front of the stones wearing flower crowns, adding to the experience of the remarkable Stonehenge
