The history of England’s chalk carvings is pretty interesting. There are many horses carved into the chalk hills, mostly in Wiltshire. One King apparently visited and saw the ‘horse running away from him’. He took it that the town didn’t want him, so never returned. Elsewhere, you can find a giant man carved into hills in the Sussex Downs, and also in Wiltshire, you’ll even find a chalk kiwi, carved by soldiers.
Nobody is exactly sure why they are there, but most have been there for years and years. But modern life means that many have grown over, so there are likely a lot more than we know, under the grass.
- The Land of the White Horse is a guide to an icon of the English landscape – the white horse at Uffington, on the North Wessex Downs. Nobody seems to know how old the horse is, who created it and why. The rich history of this ancient figure and its surroundings, can help to understand how people lived in the Downland landscape, and how it has influenced poets and writers.
- Wanderlust has a post to the 7 most iconic chalk carvings in England. Get to know these enormous figures that have quelled unhappy troops, upset kings and hosted pagans across the time – and now green modern hill walkers.
