Stonehenge is undoubtedly one of the most evocative and mysterious sites in the British Isles. Until relatively recently, as seen here in Ralph Deakin’s 1920s photo, one could wander freely among the stones. Various interpretations of its meaning and function – which remain uncertain to this day – have been suggested throughout the centuries. One of the most fascinating was advanced by Inigo Jones, who in 1620 was commissioned by James I to produce a study of the monument. Jones’s conclusions were printed in 1655 in the first book entirely dedicated to the subject, The most notable antiquity of Great Britain, vulgarly called Stone-Heng on Salisbury Plain, restored by Inigo Jones Esquire. He claimed Stonehenge was a Roman temple dedicated to the sky-god Coelus, and based this theory on his own conjectural reconstruction of the monument. The plan he drew demonstrated that a regular geometry underlined the configuration of the stones and that the inner circle formed a hexagon. To validate his theory, Jones sought out other Roman buildings that had, in his opinion, been designed to similar plans and proportions. However, an interpretation of Stonehenge as a Druid temple – advanced shortly thereafter – prevailed, and was only dispelled in Victorian times.
Stonehenge, Wiltshire, as it was
Most popular
- The Grenfell Report: lessons for architectsThe Grenfell Report: lessons for architects
- War and peace: Story of Emily MuseumWar and peace: Story of Emily Museum
- RIBA president on preventing another tragedyRIBA president on preventing another tragedy
- Unconventional projections throw a fresh light on architectu...Unconventional projections throw a fresh light on architecture
- Second edition: Hastings printworks gets new lease of lifeSecond edition: Hastings printworks gets new lease of life
- Phoenix Bridge takes 3D printed technology a step nearer com...Phoenix Bridge takes 3D printed technology a step nearer commercial viability
- Revisiting Newcastle’s concrete dreamsRevisiting Newcastle’s concrete dreams
- Contacts Book: Sanchez Benton’s most valued collaboratorsContacts Book: Sanchez Benton’s most valued collaborators