Hill figure
This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Hill_figure".

Chalk figure
Chalk figure

A hill figure is a large visual representation created by cutting into a steep hillside and revealing the underlying geology. It is a type of geoglyph usually designed to be seen from afar rather than above. In some cases trenches are dug and rubble made from material brighter than the natural bedrock is placed into them. The new material is often chalk, a soft and white form of limestone, leading to the alternative name of chalk figure for this form of art.

Hill figures are common in England: examples include the Cerne Abbas Giant, the Uffington White Horse, the Long Man of Wilmington, various badges of military units as well as the "lost" carvings at Cambridge, Oxford and Plymouth Hoe.

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History

The creation of hill figures has been practised since prehistory and can include human ("gigantotomy") and animal forms (cutting horses is known as "leucippotomy") as well as more abstract symbols and, in the modern era, advertising brands.

The reasons for the creation for the figures are varied and obscure. The Uffington Horse probably held religious significance, whereas the Cerne Abbas giant might have been a work of political satire.citation needed The figures are usually created by the cutting away of the top layer of relatively poor soil on suitable hillsides. This exposes the white chalk beneath, which contrasts well with the short green hill grass, and the image is clearly visible for a considerable distance. Despite some of the figures being of great age, they are at the same time relatively new. The figures need to be maintained to stay visible, and local people often work to restore their local landmark on a regular basis, thereby continuing an unbroken tradition.

Lost figures

Since hill figures need to be maintained by the removal of regrown turf, only those which have motivated the local populace to look after them have survived. Ancient figures all have an associated fair or ceremony which involves maintaining them.

Unmaintained figures gradually fade away. ( See list of lost figures here). Firle Corn at Firle Beacon, Sussex could be a lost figure. Its existence is suggested by infrared photography. If it is a lost figure, its age is uncertain, and unlikely to be prehistoric in origin as only one figure in the UK has been shown to be of this age, the Uffington White Horse.

Some of the most significant figures

England

Scotland

  • Mormond Horse, on the south-west flank of Mormond Hill, about 10 miles (16 km) from Fraserburgh, Aberdeen.[1][2]
  • Mormond White Stag, on the other side of the hill from the Mormond Horse. about 10 miles (16 km) from Fraserburgh, Aberdeen.[3]

Photographic gallery

The Long Man of Wilmington

The White Horse near Kilburn, North Yorkshire

Lenham Cross on the North Downs

Wye Crown

Uffington White Horse

The Cerne Abbas giant

The Westbury White Horse

The Cherhill White Horse

Drawings gallery

The Cherhill White Horse in 1892.
The Westbury White Horse in 1772 (Top) and as re-cut in 1778 (Bottom).
The Uffington White Horse in 1885.

Hill figures in fiction

See also

References

  1. ^ Bergamar, Kate (1997). Discovering Hill Figures. Pub. Shire. ISBN 0-7478-0345-5. P. 7 - 9.
  2. ^ Plenderleath, Rev. W. C. (1892). The White Horses of the West of England. Pub. Allen & Storr, London. P. 38.
  3. ^ Bergamar, Kate (1997). Discovering Hill Figures. Pub. Shire. ISBN 0-7478-0345-5. P. 10 - 12.

Bibliography

  • Bergamar, Kate (1997). Discovering Hill Figures. Pub. Shire. ISBN 0-7478-0345-5.
  • Plenderleath, Rev. W. C. (1892). The White Horses of the West of England. Pub. Allen & Storr, London.

External links

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