Cantiaci Hillfigures - introduction

Hillfigures, a mostly English phenomenon, are indelibly associated with Wessex, thanks to the
plethora of White Horses that gallop their way across the Downs of Wiltshire.

However, the three counties covered by the Cantiaci TTFF have their fair share of these historic
landmarks, thanks mainly to the chalky swathes of the North and South Downs and - possibly? -
the use of a White Horse as the emblem of Invicta.

Indeed, Kent can proudly display the newest addition to the list with the construction of a brand
new Horse at Folkestone. The area cannot boast of anything so old and mysterious as the
Uffington Horse, but it can be proud of its Long Man, its hillfigure war memorials and its unique
Wye Crown. It also has 'lost' figures, which will receive an honourable mention.

Visits to the Cantiaci Hillfigures are visits to some of the loveliest areas of SE England, as well
as historic journeys. I will include directions for those who wish to see for themselves what two-
dimensional pictures can only hint at.

By Mark McManus

Cantiaci Hillfigures The Folkestone Horse

To start with the youngest... Kent, despite its equine symbol, never actually had a White Horse of
its own.

This strange omission has now been rectified, thanks to an idea first mooted in 1998 as a
Millenium project. Designed by the artist Charles Newington, the Horse galloped into trouble
from the start.

The hillside upon which it stands is a Site of Special Scientifc Interest, so English Nature
objected to the idea immediately. Even the EU vetoed the construction. However, the
Government firmly stated that no laws were being broken and so, after a few years of legal
wrangling, construction finally began in 2003.

The Horse was built by Gurkas stationed in the area. Trenches were dug, and slabs of chalk and
limestone pinned into the trenches to create an outline which will endure. Building work took
about two weeks. The figure is 100 yards long, and can best be seen from the Tesco car park off
the M20 Junction 12.

 
Cantiaci Hillfigures Lenham Cross
The Cross can be seen from the A20, about 9 miles ENE of Maidstone.

It was designed as a memorial to 42 men of Lenham parish who died during the Great War, and
was proposed by Mr C Groom, headmaster of the village school. Completed in 1922, it stands
189ft tall.

The memorial stone placed near the Cross was used for Remembrance Day services until 1960,
when several incidents of inclement weather forced the parish to move the stone - and the
services - to the comfort of the local church.

To start with the youngest... Kent, despite its equine symbol, never actually had a White Horse of
its own.

This strange omission has now been rectified, thanks to an idea first mooted in 1998 as a
Millenium project. Designed by the artist Charles Newington, the Horse galloped into trouble
from the start.

The hillside upon which it stands is a Site of Special Scientifc Interest, so English Nature
objected to the idea immediately. Even the EU vetoed the construction. However, the
Government firmly stated that no laws were being broken and so, after a few years of legal
wrangling, construction finally began in 2003.

The Horse was built by Gurkas stationed in the area. Trenches were dug, and slabs of chalk and
limestone pinned into the trenches to create an outline which will endure. Building work took
about two weeks. The figure is 100 yards long, and can best be seen from the Tesco car park off
the M20 Junction 12.

Cantiaci Hillfigures Litlington Horse

A relatively small addition to the canon of equine hillfigures, the Horse is slightly less than 25
metres long. He can be viewed from several points along the road heading south from
Wilmington, although the best views are on foot from the South Downs Way.

It is the second Horse on the site. The first stood slightly NW of the present figure. Cut in 1838
to commemorate Victoria's coronation ( local legend claims it was completed in a single day), it
had overgrown and vanished completely by 1920.

Another legend claims that the horse is a memorial to a girl who was killed when the horse she
was riding threw her after bolting down the hill. The present Horse was cut in 1924 by a Mr John
Ade, whose grandfather helped with the cutting of the original Horse. He was assisted by two
friends and, for unknown reasons, constructed it in moonlight.
Cantiaci Hillfigures Shoreham Cross
When I went down to Shoreham
some time another year
I found a cross for sorrow
and pain for men to bear
for lads I knew aforetime
were sleeping otherwhere'

'A Kentish Lad', George A Vallins

Like its companion at Lenham, the Shoreham Cross was erected as a war memorial. The land on
which it stands, towering over the village, was donated to the parish on a 999 year lease by the
Rt Hon FB Mildmay MP in 1920. It was
created by volunteers the same year and unveiled on Empire Day. The Cross stands 100ft high
and overlooks the Darent Valley, only a few miles south of Lullingstone and Eynsford

Cantiaci Hillfigures The Long Man of Wilmington

Other chalky figures exist in Kent, although the status of 'hillfigure' is dubious. A large white
propeller decorates a field to commemorate the Battle of Britain, the outline of a small aeroplane
at Dover commemorates the first cross-channel flight. However, these are set on flat ground
rather than slopes and, while visible from the air, do not make very good landmarks for those on
terra firma. A lost figure, the Buffs Badge at Canterbury, was carved into the bullet bank at the
end of a firing range in 1922. A 55ft dragon, it was unfortunately allowed to grass over when the
regiment whose symbol it was merged with another in 1958.

So we follow the broad, verdant sweep of the South Downs into Sussex, where we find a
hillfigure that is not only the undisputed lord of all the Cantiaci figures, but is also one of the
most famous in the country.

The Long Man can best be viewed from the entrance to the Priory car park at Wilmington. It
stands on the north face of Windover Hill, and is surrounded by memories of the past: a quarry,
directly to its right; flint mines pocking the crest above; barrows, crowning the peak of the Hill.
He stands 70 metres high and his staves are slightly taller.

His age and origins are a mystery, which has doubtless added to his popularity. The first
documented mention is in a manuscript of 1779 which shows him with facial feastures and
holding farming implements. Various theories have been put forward regarding who he
represents, some of them bizarre. They include King Harold, Mercury, Baldur, Thor, Wotan,
Beowulf, the Hindu god Varuna ( Flinders Petrie's suggestion, surprisingly), Mohammed, St
Paul, Apollo and John Gator with his geophys equipment (my personal theory). One particularly
attractive theory has him carved by the monks of Wilmington, a chalk pilgrim advertising board
for the night to those travelling the Pilgrims Way across the South Downs.

No less a respected archaeologist than Cunliffe inspected examples taken from the Man and
suggested Roman materials had been used in his construction. Resistivity tests have confirmed
that, at various points in his history, he did indeed carry rakes, scythes, and even a plumed cap. A
figure much resembling him was found on a Saxon coin discovered elsewhere in the Weald.

A legend of warring giants has sprung from his position on the hill. Apparently, two giants once
lived in the area - one on Windover Hill, the other at Firle Beacon. after an argument they threw
rocks at each other. The Windover Giant was struck and now lies on the side of the hill where he
fell...

From the breezy peak of the aptly-named Windover Hill, high above the Long Man's head, it is
possible on a clear day to look south and make out a white smudge on the hills a few miles away.

Cantiaci Hillfigures The West Clandon Dragon

The Dragon, visible from the A246 east of Guildford, was created in 1977 to celebrate the Silver
jubilee. Although it had grassed over by 1990, it was recently restored. It is the only hillfigure in
Surrey, the Cantiaci county better known for theme parks, stockbrokers, and ageing cyclists in
yellow lycra. A White Horse once existed in Surrey, but it disappeared early in the twentieth
century.

The Dragon was used because of a local legend which was recorded as early as 1776. According
to the legend, the village of West Clandon was being terrorized by a dragon. The villagers told
an army deserter, who was passing through, that they would grant him a pardon if he would
dispose of the beast. The dragon was consequently attacked by the soldier's dog, who wore it
down so that the man could strike a fatal blow.

Cantiaci Hillfigures The Whitehawk Hawk

Located in the Sheepcote Valley on the eastern fringes of Brighton, the Hawk was created in the
Summer of 2001 by a group of local artists called SameSky. Its inauguration ceremony saw it lit
up like a beacon. Plans to hold annual festivities on the Hawk on the anniversary of its creation
will include maintenance work to prevent its weathering.
Cantiaci Hillfigures Wye Crown
Best seen from the country road heading east from Wye, or - further back - from the Ashford-
Canterbury Road. The hillfigure is unique, there are no other Crowns in the country.

Associated with - and maintained - by the students of Wye College, the Crown was created in
1902 to mark the imminent coronation of Edward VII.

Its design was ingeniously simple. The outline of an 1887 florin was traced onto a piece of paper,
which was attached to the lens of a theodolite. The theodolite was aimed at the hill, and workers
with flags marked the outline as seen through the lens.

On the night of August 9th 1902, the day of Edward's coronation, the Crown was illuminated by
1500 fairy lights. This has become a tradition, repeated at every coronation since.