“There are so many mysteries.” Talking to Lewis and Richard Edwards-Middleton the day after a visit to Stonehenge, you get a sense that it’s the wonder of the place that lingers. The couple behind Two Dads in London are known for sharing their adventures as a family on social media. They had just spent a day out at Salisbury Plain’s famous stone circle with their then nine-year-old son and six-year-old daughter*. They’re clearly struck by the fact that even after 4,500 years the enigmatic arrangement of giant stone slabs – a masterpiece of engineering – is still prompting as many questions as answers.
The monument was an important site for Neolithic people, this we know, but its precise purpose is still the subject of debate. Theories as to Stonehenge’s function include being a giant sundial, a calendar, a kind of ancient computer and even a portal – but more on that later. The hypothesis that English Heritage (custodian of Stonehenge) believes to be the most likely is that the stone circle was some kind of temple, given its alignment with the movements of the sun at the solstices.
