When travelling in the United Kingdom, especially in the south, it’s possible that you have noticed some giant white figures in the landscape. These figures were created by cutting into the hillside to reveal the rock underneath – usually white chalk. This kind of geographical art, known as a ‘geoglyph’ is designed to be seen from a great distance, perhaps from the air, or even with something like Google Maps. That’s quite strange if you consider that this ancient craft dates back to prehistoric times.
THE WHITE HORSE
The oldest chalk-cut hill figure in Britain is the Uffington White Horse. It is an enormous abstract figure, the size of a football field, situated on a hill in Oxfordshire. Recent carbon dating has proved that it is around three thousand years old. Nobody knows exactly why it was made, but the sun rises behind it and, in Celtic art, horses are often seen pulling the chariot of the sun.
THE RIDING KING
Chalk horses are quite common, with at least twenty-four across Britain, although some can no longer be seen. However, only the Osmington White Horse – a 79-meter figure on the South Dorset Downs – has a rider. This figure was carved in 1808 in honour of King George III, who was a regular visitor to the nearby town of Weymouth. Unfortunately, the compliment went wrong. According to legend, King George was offended because the horse seems to be riding away from Weymouth, and he never visited the town again.
THE LONG MAN
Because of his minimalist shape, the Long Man of Wilmington in East Sussex was believed for many years to have originated in the Iron Age or even the Neolithic period. However, more recent studies indicate that it was probably created in the 16th or 17th century. If the head and top half of the body seem long and rather large, this is part of a clever optical illusion. When viewed from below, at the foot of the hill, the figure appears in proportion.
THE RUDE MAN OF CERNE
Perhaps the most famous hill figure is the anatomically impressive Cerne Abbas Giant in Dorset, also known as the ‘rude man’ of Cerne. There has been a lot of debate over the origins of this fifty-five-metre figure holding a club. Early antiquarians thought he represented an Anglo-Saxon deity. Others believed him to be a representation of the Roman god Hercules. Some people have suggested an association with a fertility cult, and others believe that he was carved during the 17th century English Civil War, as a caricature of controversial political leader Oliver Cromwell. Whatever the truth, the ‘rude man’ certainly remains impressive!
