He’s over there.....
Images
Slate and white enamel representation of The Long Man.
I hand carved and enamelled this into a large reclaimed Cornish roof slate. 60x40cm.
It’s still for sale too ;) If you are interested, email me at [email protected].
Image credit: Martin Wilson
Very orderly sheep in front of the figure, in Science-Gossip magazine, December 1899.
archive.org/stream/sciencegossip0667lond#page/199/mode/1up
Image credit: South Coast Quarterly
Postcard date unknown
Image credit: Sanbride M'bro
Druids celebrate Lammas at the Long Man of Wilmington 5/8/07.
Nice to be able to put up a positive image of the place again!
Image credit: cursuswalker
Turf damage on the left waist of the Long Man, from the path at the top of the figure 27/7/07.
Image credit: cursuswalker
Turf damage on the left elbow of the Long Man, from the base of the figure 27/7/07.
Image credit: cursuswalker
A loose block on the Long Man 27/7/07.
This is visible from the viewing point in Wilmington. Again, high time this was fixed.
Image credit: cursuswalker
The fence at the foot of the Long Man 27/7/07. This is where the production crew accessed the figure on 1-2/7/07.
Soon to be repaired?
Image credit: cursuswalker
1/7/07 – Detail of peviously posted photo. The right foot of the woman climbing over the edge of the teracette seems to be scraping over bare earth.
The EH inspector noted “damage to the turf in some areas, which appears to be very recent and might have been caused during filming”
Image credit: Darren Thomas
2/7/07 – The mug shot. Will any of them ever apologise?
Image credit: cursuswalker
2/7/07 – The women coming off the Long Man. A lot of them are running down the slope. Appropriate on such a sensitive area?
Image credit: cursuswalker
2/7/07 – At last it is over. The women (with some men mixed in) return to the path.
Image credit: cursuswalker
2/7/07 – This is what it was all for. Pathetic.
Image credit: cursuswalker
2/7/07 – A security guard at the foot of the Long Man. His job, presumably, is to keep Pagans off the Long Man. Ironic, since they are the only people there who know they should not go on the figure.
Image credit: cursuswalker
2/7/07 – Grim-faced druids form a circle at the foot of the Long Man. No long shots were possible without us in them. The soil erosion sign joins us as an ally.
Image credit: cursuswalker
2/7/07 – The women take their positions on the Long Man
Image credit: cursuswalker
1/7/07 – The rehearsal for “Trinny and Susannah” on the long Man of Wilmington.
The women are lying on the concrete blocks, contrary to the agreement with the owners.
The sticks stuck into the ground by the programme makers are clearly visible. These were only removed when reported to the owners by local Pagans. There was no archaeological supervision of the site.
Image credit: Darren Thomas
1/7/07 – During the rehearsal for the following days filming for “Trinny and Susannah” a woman scrambles up the left elbow of the Long Man of Wilmington. This part of the figure is now being inspected for damage.
Sticks in the ground also clearly visible bottom left.
Image credit: Darren Thomas
2/7/07 – 80 women lie on the Long Man of Wilmington as part of a stunt for the Trinny and Susannah TV programme.
Does the sign still apply? Let’s hope so...
Image credit: cursuswalker
The vandalism to the Long Man landscape is still clearly visible.
A close-up view taken 28.7.06
Image credit: Sorcha
The vandalism to the Long Man landscape is still clearly visible.
An overall view taken 28.7.06
Image credit: Sorcha
A comment from a fellow druid on the vandalism to the Long Man landscape.
Image credit: Chris Tinniswood
Long Man vandalism overview 30/3/05.
Image credit: Cursuswalker (for free distribution)
Recovering ground at the Long Man vandalism 30/3/05.
Image credit: Cursuswalker (for free distribution)
Example of letter contrast. Long Man vandalism 30/3/05.
Image credit: Cursuswalker (for free distribution)
Detail of ground. Long Man vandalism 30/3/05.
Image credit: Cursuswalker (for free distribution)
A bush that got in the way! Long Man vandalism 30/3/05.
Image credit: Cursuswalker (for free distribution)
Scorch-mark on the Long Man vandalism 30/3/05.
Image credit: Cursuswalker (for free distribution)
The current view of the vandalism in mist. Still very clear! 30/3/05.
Image credit: Cursuswalker (for free distribution)
A montage of images of the 1/6/2003 repainting of the Long Man
Image credit: Chris Tinniswood
The view from the chalk mine directly above the Long Man.
Taken from the path above the Long Man – this gives an idea of scale. Check the sheep to the right and the people to the left.
This shows the constellation of Orion overlaid over the Long Man, both in its actual form and reversed.
In his book “Stonehenge” John North suggests a Neolithic origin to the Long Man with the constellation of Orion, which skims Windover Hill in its passage across the sky, as the original inspiration for the figure.
It occurred to me that placing a reversed Orion over the original shape might provide a believable framework for whatever form the Long Man originally took.
All speculation of course…. but the results are interesting.
Image credit: Cursuswalker
2000ce
Taken midday 8 June 2003
Image credit: Damonm
I am adding some sites on Windover Hill, the site of the Long Man of Wilmington. These photographs were taken nearly 4 years ago and I have only just dug them up!
The landscape above the Long Man is well worth a visit for those who don’t mind shapes in the grass with no interesting rocks cluttering up the place. We don’t really do rocks in this neck of the woods.
(See the Goldstone, in Brighton, for a notable exception. The only megalith to have had a football ground named after it!)
The fact that a large Neolithic Long Barrow and a large Bronze Age Round Barrow seem to be aligned with the space on which the Long Man now stands is something that I find intriguing. While the Naturalistic figure of the Long Man could only be Roman at the very oldest, I believe there to have been something on this site for a very long time. If only we could see what were the original designs on this hill.
Image credit: Rodney Castleden
Image credit: Alan S>
Image credit: Alan S>
Image credit: Chris Petty (28 July 2001)
September 2000
painted Beltane, 2002, by person(s) unknown
Image credit: from Ananova
Articles
This You Tube presentation covers the first day of filming on the figure, including evidence of irresponsible practices on the part of ITV.
Pagans protest at Trinny & Suzanna TV show
This is the You Tube video of the protest at the Long Man of Wilmington on Monday 2nd July 2007, against the stunt that involved 100+ women trampling all over the Long Man for the TV show “Trinny and Susannah Undress”
A 235ft (72m) chalk carving cut into the hillside near Eastbourne in East Sussex is to be restored by scouts.
Sussex Express 18/7/07:
THE SUSSEX Archaeological Society has apologised to protesters after they allowed a controversial stunt by ITV to give the Long Man of Wilmington a sex change.
ITV and the archaeological society caused fury among Pagans and other protesters when they allowed fashion gurus Trinny and Susannah to add breasts and pigtails to the figure many believe is sacred.
As part of the programme, Trinny and Susannah Undress, ITV asked woman dressed in white to lie on the figure to create the transformation.
Chief Executive Office of the organisation, John Manley, said: ‘The Sussex Archaeological Society would like to apologise to representatives of the Pagan community, or any other individual or groups, who might have been offended by recent television filming on the Long Man of Wilmington.
‘It was not the society’s intention to cause offence.
‘The society is proud of its curation of the Long Man.
‘In future the society will consult representatives of the Pagan community and other interested parties before sanctioning any significant activities.‘
Newell Fisher was one of the protesters against the stunt and has now helped form a campaign group, Guardians of the Long Man.
As archaeological liaison officer of that group Mr Fisher said: ‘We look forward to working with the Sussex Archaeological Society to help ensure the future welfare of the site.
‘Our confidence in their custodianship has been restored.‘
He said the protesters would continue their fight to stop the footage of the stunt being aired.
He said: ‘We are absolutely determined this footage should not be shown as we feel it will encourage anti-social behaviour on the site.
‘We heard people say they were going up there directly after the filming as the activities seem to make people think it is ok an we are extremely concerned about this.‘
The following links provide news coverage of the protests regarding filming at The Long Man in July 2007.
Note:These sources were originally contributed to this page as separate posts by Cursuswalker, but in the interests of brevity, the TMA Eds have taken the opportunity to condense them into one post. Apologies to Cursuswalker.
BBC (02/07/07)
The Independent (05/07/07)
The Express (04/07/07)
Brighton Evening Argus (03/07/07)
Sussex Express (04/07/07)
Sussex Express (02/07/07)
Sussex Express (09/07/07)
Eastbourne Herald (06/07/07)
Bexhill on Sea Observer (04/06/07)
news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/sussex/6591483.stm
The concrete blocks of the Long Man got a fresh coat of whitewash at the weekend – the first time since 1999.
The article credits this mammoth feat to both the Territorial Army and the local morris dancers. I’m assuming these are mutually exclusive groups, but who knows.
More than 60 druids gathered on the top of the flat hill to the west of the Long Man crest at 2pm.
They took part in a rite to mark the ‘feast of the unforgotten sun’ where their activities were watched with enthusiasm by dozens of Sunday walkers.
The ceremony took the form of a mummer’s play with actors wearing masks depicting the sun, moon and earth. At one point watchers were asked to close their eyes when the mask was taken off a man and put on to a child, depicting the rebirth of a new year.
The next Long Man ceremony is to mark Imbolc – the first celebration of Spring – anyone who wants to find out more is encouraged to look at: bardicarts.com
reduced from the article at ‘Lewes Today‘
lewestoday.co.uk/ViewArticle2.aspx?SectionID=509&ArticleID=916225
Within the past few months, hunt – supporting vandals have painted the slogan “NO BAN”, in letters which must be at least 8 feet high, roughly 200m to the left of the long man of wilmington. Unlike previous “pranks” involving paint, this has been done by burning the grass away completely, I think they may have used creosote. This crass piece of political graffiti, executed by individuals who claim to love and respect the countryside, may be visible for years to come unless some sort of re-turfing occurs. I’m on to the powers that be to find out more, will keep y’all posted...
Local wits decorated the hill figure last week to leave no doubt about his sex. They also gave him a smiley face and decorated the staffs as flags, using white paint.
Sussex Past, the organisation responsible for the Long Man’s maintenance, is investigating the vandalism. Their spokesman Chris Munns said, ‘The extra lines were made with some kind of paint, so we should be able to strim them out.‘
The outline is actually marked with large white stone blocks, rather than being cut into the chalk itself.
(gleaned from ‘Eastbourne Today‘)
Prehistoric Long Man is ‘16th century new boy‘
By David Derbyshire, Science Correspondent
(Filed: 02/10/2003) Telegraph
news.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?view=DETAILS&xml=/news/2003/10/02/nchalk02.xml
The origins of England’s tallest chalk hill figure, the Long Man of Wilmington, have puzzled historians and archaeologists for generations.
Carved into a steep slope on the South Downs in Sussex, the imposing figure has been claimed as an Anglo Saxon warrior, a Roman folly and an Iron Age fertility symbol. But acccording to a team of researchers, the Long Man may be a relatively recent addition to the landscape. Tests carried out this summer have produced compelling evidence that it dates from the mid-16th century.
The findings have surprised the experts and will cast doubt on the age of other supposedly prehistoric carvings, including the Cerne Abbas giant in Dorset.
Standing 226 feet tall, the Long Man of Wilmington is one of the largest carved figures in the world. It dominates the grassy downland at the village of Wilmington near Eastbourne, holding a stave in each hand.
Although the earliest known record of the figure comes from 1710, many scholars have argued that it already existed when the Romans invaded Britain.
The new findings come from a team of researchers led by Prof Martin Bell, an environmental archaeologist at Reading University. Their research is part of Figures in the Chalk, broadcast on BBC2 tonight at 7.30pm.
“I didn’t expect this date at all,” Prof Bell told The Daily Telegraph yesterday. “I expected it to be no later than Anglo Saxon.”
Prof Bell’s conclusions come from an analysis of chalk fragments washed down the slope over the past few thousand years.
The analysis revealed little activity on the hillside during the Iron Age, Roman occupation or Medieval times. But about 500 years ago there was a sudden change when a layer of chalk rubble swept down the slope. Prof Bell believes that the chalk debris may have been come [sic] from the freshly cut Long Man.
An ancient hill figure carved into the South Downs has sprouted a 20-foot penis overnight in what experts say could be a bizarre May Day celebration.
The discovery has been made by the Long Man Morris Men who are visiting The Long Man of Wilmington to celebrate May Day.
The 231-foot high figure, located near Eastbourne, East Sussex, is causing giggles among tourists who were photographing him in all his new glory.
Sussex Archaeological Society, which owns the site, said the appendage could have been part of the ancient Beltaine Celtic Festival. Others observers, including a white witch, said it might have been part of a bizarre May Day fertility ritual.
The adult attachment has been painted on the grass and has not damaged the figure cut into the chalk hillside by Druid settlers and which attracts thousands of visitors each year.
Morris Man Norman Hopson said: “We first noticed it after our first dance this morning, but I promise it had nothing to do with us. I last visited it four weeks ago but nothing had been added.”
Henry Warner, a director at the Archaeological Society, said: “This could have been a mindless act of vandalism or it could have been something to do with the Celtic Beltaine Festival. In the Celtic system the festival marks the start of the warm part of the year and was traditionally held at the beginning of May.
“Alternatively it could have been a fertility ritual. The figure may originally have had an appendage, like at Cerne Abbas, but the Victorians who did not approve of such things may have taken it off. But, whoever did this, we can never condone vandalism at the Long Man.”
White witch Kevin Carlyon, head of the British Coven of White Witches, said: “I am up in arms over this because I have always said that the Long Man was a woman.
“I take chaps with problems to the Long Man at Wilmington and women to Cerne Abbas, but this makes a mockery of that. I am going to put a spell on whoever did this, but I would not be surprised if there were quite a few naughty romps at the Long Man tonight.”
Story filed: 12:23 Wednesday 1st May 2002
Originally published at the following URL:
ananova.com/yournews/story/sm_579301.html
My wife went and took more pictures for me on 28/7/06.
As I was putting them up on TMA I discovered that the CA have put the original article on this BACK on their website, including the offending picture.
Considering the fact that the damage is still visible at the Long Man I find this unbelievable.
I visited the Long Man again last Friday (21/7/06). The vandalism caused, or at least supported, by the C*ntryside Alliance is still very much visible, as the quality of vegetation is different where the letters were burnt on the hillside.
Unfortunately I didn’t take any pictures. I’ll try to get back there sometime soon.
I still have a copy of the web-page on which the CA condoned this action. They took it down originally as soon as they realised that it might not have been such a bright idea after all.
What can I say about the Long Man him/herself?
At first sight, up close, it will be a disappointment, consisting, as it does, of concrete blocks painted white. For me the real delights of this site lie above him on Windover Hill, and I have added these as associated sites.
The best way to experience the Long Man, in my view, is to sit on the flat platform to his/her right, formed from the spoil of a small chalk pit, and picnic/chill/meditate/whatever takes your fancy and involves sitting there.
This is a site where I have attended many open druid rituals and it is a wonderful setting. After a while those concrete blocks begin to speak to you….
[visited 14/07/03] Been here a couple of times before, but this was the first time I’ve climbed the hill (Like Dyer says, you can see it with binoculors perfectly well from the carpark :).
It apparently dates from Saxon times, though as per the rumour is something was painted here well before that. I will say the hill surface it is on is surprisingly flat and to my mind marks the quarries, almost like a first attempt at a billboard!
Went to Eastbourne during the first weekend of August for the pagan Lammas festival. Cisited the Long Man the day after. It looked well impressive from the road especially as behind the wall we espied druid rites happening. Some of us went. Some of us went to the pub.
Also checked out the churchyard. Noticed the tree had been dressed in many coloured ribbons.
Our fieldtrip was well worthwhile but mostly for the fun of being witih the folk we were with from Ken Rees’ Mythology, Folklore, and Witchcraft class which happens in Notting Hill. If you want to check out this class you can phone Ken on 020 8671 6372. Tell him Rich told ya.
This is a wonderful place. Above the long man there are a series of ancient burial mounds, in various styles dating from different periods. This place has been sacred for a very long time. Local legend says that there was once a goddess on the hill next to the long man who is now lost.
Also worth checking out is the 5,000+ year old Yew tree in the local churchyard. This is truly an amazing tree, and probably predates all around it (except the hill!) and marks the spot of the original shrine in this area.
(Visited 4/8/00)
After a long climb, we were above the man himself, but couldn’t see him anymore. We decided not to clamber down, as they are trying to prevent erosion on the hill.
However, its definitely worth continuing over the top of the hill, to explore the barrows and be rewarded for all your efforts by breathtaking views in all directions.
I was told in 1875 that the Long Man at Wilmington (called Wilmington Giant by the people of the neighbourhood) was cut on the hills before the Flood.
There are remains of a castle above Wilmington Priory; pilgrimages were made from the castle to the priory, and, at the time of the pilgrimage the giant (Long Man) was slain by the pilgrims.
I was also told that the giant on Firle Beacon threw his hammer at the Wilmington giant and killed him, and that the figure on the hillside marks the place where his body fell.
I was told this again in 1890, and in 1891 was further informed that the Long Man carries spears, not staves, in his hands, and that an upright line (which I was unable to find) runs from top to bottom of the hill a little to the east, and another a little to the west of the figure.
A man told me that the Wilmington Long Man was a giant who fell over the top of the hill and killed himself; he also said that “a boy cut it out; they can’t trace its history, it goes back so far.”
Another man told me that the Wilmington giant was killed by a shepherd, who threw his dinner at the monster. The sun cast a shadow on the hill; the monks marked the place, and cut an outline; thus the Wilmington giant was made.
“One of the Romans” was buried in a gold coffin under the Wilmington giant.
Scraps of Folklore Collected by John Philipps Emslie
C. S. Burne
Folklore, Vol. 26, No. 2. (Jun. 30, 1915), pp. 153-170.
This proverb is apparently found in Fuller’s Worthies of England (1662):
“When Firle Hill and Long Man has a cap
We at A’ston gets a drap.”
(I found it mentioned in Notes and Queries for May 3rd 1884)
There have been many suggestions as to what the Long man represents, including a warrior, a god, or the giant who was killed by the Firle Beacon giant. Another legend has it that the long man fell and broke his neck, his body being outlined in chalk where he lay before it was buried in a long barrow on the hilltop. A Roman in a golden coffin is said to lie buried beneath the Long man.
... The figure is not always visible; he is most often to be seen in bright summer mornings and evenings, or during the winter, when there is a hard frost, or a slight fall of snow. Sometimes you may see the giant distinctly half a mile off, but on approaching the spot the turf appears as smooth as on the adjacent hills.
[...] We may add that this remarkable figure is about to be restored, and that the vicar of Glynde, near Lewes, Sussex, is treasurer to the Restoration Fund, which has been headed by the Duke of Devonshire. Small subscriptions of half-a-crown are solicited in preference to larger sums, so as to excite a widely-extended interest. The first sod for the restoration has already been turned by Mr Phene, but the work has been suspended for a time to allow persons interested to see it in its original condition.
The Graphic, 7th February 1874. The campaign seem to have progressed at some pace, as the newspapers in April report that the outline had been completely restored (with white bricks).
‘Pro-hunt slogan burnt into landmark hillside‘
Evening Argus 15/9/04
Hunt supporters burned the words No Ban into grassland beside the famous Long Man of Wilmington. The 235ft downland chalk figure at Wilmington, near Eastbourne, was one of 14 countryside spots across the UK targeted by the Countryside Alliance. Round bales of hay were used to scorch the earth with 20m-high words ahead of today’s debate by MPs to outlaw hunting with dogs.
In a move designed to stoke up support for their campaign, the group sought permission from landowners before making their stand. Organiser James Hallett said East Sussex Fire and Rescue Service was notified in advance and the fire was started about ten yards left of the Long Man. He said: “This was a signal to the Government we are coming for them. They have bitten off more than they can chew this time. The Government has chosen the path of prejudice and spite. The reaction it unleashes will be its own responsibility. The lighting of the No Ban fires are our signal to this Government that we will not be beaten by such bigotry and intolerance.”
Firefighters in East Sussex received several calls from people driving along the A27 as the controlled fire was started. A fire brigade spokesman said: “Once we realised it was controlled burning, we just let it run its course and stuck around to make sure it didn’t spread.”
It is not the first time the ancient Long Man has been targeted. In July, vandals defaced the chalk figure with obscenities and anti-war slogans. A large appendage was added and slogans scrawled on the surrounding grass. However, the visual impact of the site has also been used to highlight charities and campaigns from National Hospice Month to World Sight Day.
I am adding some sites on Windover Hill, the site of the Long Man of Wilmington. These photographs were taken nearly 4 years ago and I have only just dug them up!
The landscape above the Long Man is well worth a visit for those who don’t mind shapes in the grass with no interesting rocks cluttering up the place. We don’t really do rocks in this neck of the woods.
(See the Goldstone, in Brighton, for a notable exception. The only megalith to have had a football ground named after it!)
The fact that a large Neolithic Long Barrow and a large Bronze Age Round Barrow seem to be aligned with the space on which the Long Man now stands is something that I find intriguing. While the Naturalistic figure of the Long Man could only be Roman at the very oldest, I believe there to have been something on this site for a very long time. If only we could see what were the original designs on this hill.
Shape-shifting: the changing outline of the long man of Wilmington.
An article by Rodney Castleden, in the Sussex Archaeological Collections 140.
The figure was bricked in 1873, and there was some argument about what the proper outline should be. It had long been grassed over but could still be seen albeit indistinctly – in 1800 it was called ‘The Green Man’. The earliest known drawing comes from 1710.
This is the information page on the Long Man of Wilmington on the Sussex Archaeological Society website.
This is an 1878 map of the Long Man of Wilmington, and the surrounding area, from a website that is fascinating from an MA point of view.
They allow re-use of images under the conditions laid down here: old-maps.co.uk/terms.htm
New work overturns date for chalk Long Man of Wilmington.
Rather old news now, but this covers the discoveries linked to the excavation in 2003.
Page from the Countryside Alliance’s own website, bragging about the vandalism, including a picture of it taking place.
17/8/05 UPDATE: They seem to have removed the picture. What a shame...
2/8/06 UPDATE: It’s back again. Maybe they think the heat is off now...
5/7/07 UPDATE: And it’s gone again
I am adding some sites on Windover Hill, the site of the Long Man of Wilmington. These photographs were taken nearly 4 years ago and I have only just dug them up!
The landscape above the Long Man is well worth a visit for those who don’t mind shapes in the grass with no interesting rocks cluttering up the place. We don’t really do rocks in this neck of the woods.
(See the Goldstone, in Brighton, for a notable exception. The only megalith to have had a football ground named after it!)
The fact that a large Neolithic Long Barrow and a large Bronze Age Round Barrow seem to be aligned with the space on which the Long Man now stands is something that I find intriguing. While the Naturalistic figure of the Long Man could only be Roman at the very oldest, I believe there to have been something on this site for a very long time. If only we could see what were the original designs on this hill.
Topics
Sites within 20km of The Long Man of Wilmington
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Windover Long Mound
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Windover Cursus
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Windover Hill
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Wilmington Hill
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Hunter’s Burgh
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Burlough Castle
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Alfriston Church
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Berwick Mound
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Litlington
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Long Burgh
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Coombe Hill
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High and Over
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Bourne Hill
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Babylon Down
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Foxholes Brow
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Bostal Hill
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Foxholes
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Beachy Brow
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Eastbourne Downs Golf Club
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Firle Beacon
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Firle Beacon
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Pashley
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Baily’s Hill
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Seaford Head Bowl Barrow
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Seaford Head
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Belle Tout
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Mount Caburn
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Peacehaven Heights
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Money Burgh
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Ranscombe Camp
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Saxon Down
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Cliffe Hill
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The Tump, Lewes
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Brack Mount
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Kingston Barrow Cemetery
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Offham Hill
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Castle Hill (Woodingdean)
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Beacon Hill
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Plumpton Plain
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