Restoration work at Stonehenge has begun today, with scaffolding erected inside the ancient Salisbury monument as the UNESCO world heritage site undergoes the first major repairs in more than six decades so cracks and holes in the stones can be refilled.

Strong winds buffeting the 4,500-year-old stone circle on Salisbury Plain just two miles west of Amesbury have taken their toll on its horizontal stones, called lintels, which may start rocking or become unstable, according to English Heritage.

Large-scale restoration this morning, with conservators seen scaling 22ft high scaffolding so holes, cracks and joints can be refilled. The last major job was conducted in 1958, when several fallen stones were hauled back into place by Aubrey Bailey.

His son Richard Woodman-Bailey, who was eight when he placed a 1950s halfpenny under one of the stones during the first repairs, is now due to place a commemorative 2021, £2 silver coin featuring Britannia within Stonehenge at an unveiling ceremony.

Before Aubrey Bailey’s repairs, the last time Stonehenge underwent restoration was at the beginning of the 20th Century after the horizontal stones had fallen off the monument. It is hoped no further repairs will be needed for the rest of this century.

Excavations revealed cremated human bones in some of the chalk filling, but the holes themselves were likely not made to be used as graves, but as part of a religious ceremony. After this first stage, Stonehenge was abandoned and left untouched for more than 1,000 years.

How Stonehenge’s stones have lasted so long: 20-tonne blocks are made up of interlocking quartz crystals that have stopped the monument weathering over the last 5,000 years, analysis reveals