Trevor Cox – Acoustic engineer and Stonehenge researcher

Trevor Cox is a professor of acoustic engineering at the University of Salford in the United Kingdom. He engineers systems to make sound better. And he studies how the structures we build affect the sounds we make inside them.

- By Nick D'Alto

Trevor Cox is a professor of acoustic engineering at the University of Salford in the United Kingdom. He engineers systems to make sound better. And he studies how the structures we build affect the sounds we make inside them.

His work has investigated the acoustics of one very ancient and famous structure. Located about 90 miles (145 km) west of London, England’s Stonehenge is one of the world’s most fascinating monuments.

WE HEAR ALL KINDS OF AMAZING THEORIES ABOUT STONEHENGE. WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO STUDY THE POSSIBILITY THAT ITS DESIGN MIGHT INFLUENCE WHAT PEOPLE ONCE HEARD INSIDE IT?

I’m fascinated by the idea of reconstructing sounds from the past. After all, there are no recordings, so this is a real challenge to explore. We study the acoustics of modern buildings, but our approach had never been used on a prehistoric structure. So I saw a real opportunity.

AND TO TEST YOUR THEORY, YOU CONSTRUCTED A VERY EXACTING MODEL.

Yes, as a way to study Stonehenge as it once was. Today, many of its stones are fallen or lost. Which means the monument no longer has its original acoustics. So we began with a laser scan of the real Stonehenge, along with archeological records, to identify the precise orientations of where every stone once stood about 4,000 years ago.

YOU’VE CALLED YOUR MODEL “MINI-HENGE.” BUT THE FINISHED MODEL LOOKS HUGE.