A history-loving carpet fitter has recreated an ancient machine to solve the mystery of how Stonehenge was built. Steven Tasker, 66, believes the long-forgotten machinery would have been used to transport the huge stones 180 miles.

Steven Tasker on a day trip to Stonehenge, when he was likely thinking about his lifting machine and how it was used first in the UK and how it was likely the Egyptians visited Britain in search of scientific solutions for moving huge statues and building the pyramids.

He came up with the theory on a visit to Egypt as he wanted to explain how the Pyramids were built. Steven decided to build the rocking structure with his grandson to see if they could lift heavy stones.

The mechanism features a circular board in the middle of wooden planks that sit on top of rockers and wooden feet. Steven, of Llanrhaeadr, Mid Wales, says it could ‘move any weight’ and may solve the Stonehenge mystery.

He said: ‘It may look like something out of Last of the Summer Wine, but we’ve lifted a third of a tonne with it and theoretically it could move any weight.

‘I tied rockers below a plank of wood to try and work out how they could have been used.

‘By using pivot points, I could counterbalance a 60kg roll of carpet on top and by using the rockers, walk it across the road.’

Steven’s theory could explain how stone circles from the Preseli Hills in Pembrokeshire were moved to Salisbury Plain in Wiltshire.

He explained his ideas to Dr Campbell Price – curator of one of the UK’s largest Egyptology collections at Manchester Museum. Dr Price was impressed with his theory and said the ‘efficient movement of large numbers of ancient monuments’ has never been fully explained.

He said: ‘Steve’s experiments give a different perspective into how ancient people were able to plan paths of least resistance and to manipulate natural forces.’

Steven also believes the machine is referenced in the Old Testament when Ezekiel describes a ‘vision of God being transported on cherubim.’

Steven tested the prototype with his grandson: An important element where the ball bearings – such as those found at ancient sites – stop the statue from sliding off.

How Steven believes the machine could have looked – with the stone held over a circular board in the middle and wooden planks pulled sideways to propel the feet forward.

How Steven believes the machine would have looked – he believes the Egyptians could have kept animal fat in head cones to be used as a lubricant on the stone rollers

The cherubim include four wings and ‘feet shaped like the sole of a calf’s foot.

Steven said: ‘The feet are an important part of the machine because the load’s centre of mass is retained over them.

‘It gives the impression the machine is defying gravity, but like any trick of the eye, a clown leaning forward with his big shoes, it looks like magic.’

Steven estimates the machine would be able to travel 1.5 miles a day – meaning the Stonehenge stones would have taken months to transport.

Engineer Shaun Whitehead, who led the Djedi robotic exploration of the Great Pyramid, said: ‘I’m often approached by people who have their own ideas about why and how these great structures were built.

‘I’m careful not to dismiss any of these without a little thought, but most can be shown to be unworkable or impractical.

‘However, Steven’s theories on how massive objects could have been moved demonstrate a very creative and practical engineering mind.’