It is a landscape bypassed by many, as they motor between London and the Southwest of England: often experienced as a fleeting glance across at Stonehenge’s imposing circle of menhirs, sarsens and trilithons. But the chalky hills of Oxfordshire, Wiltshire and Dorset – the Wessex Downs – are one of the UK’s most important ancient regions, and not just for stone circles. Once upon a time in this landscape various cultures began to carve giant hill figures, the chalky likenesses of which stood out, awed and, subsequently, perplexed thousands of people. What did these gigantic doodles represent? Who did them, and why? From the Uffington White Horse, one of the world’s oldest and largest chalk hill figures, to those that came after it in later centuries, my latest feature for Britain Magazine looks at and explores one of the most singular ancient historical phenomena in Great Britain.
Larger than Life – Britain Magazine
Categories: Articles, historic travel, UK Travel
Luke and his Words... 