The Westbury White Horse carved on the hillside near Westbury in Wiltshire, England.
Photo credit:tipwarm/Shutterstock.com
A large portion of Southern England is made up of chalk.
As time progressed, layers of calcium carbonate built up and got compacted into a solid layer of rock.
The artworks are usually made on the hillside so that they are visible from the distance.
In the past there probably were hundreds, but many became destroyed or overgrown with vegetation.
The figure is believed to have been carved by Iron Age people in 1000 BC.
Since then, this prehistoric monument has been cared for by an unbroken chain of people.
Uffington White Horse
Uffington White Horse.
Photo credit:Garry S/Flickr
TheOsmington White Horseis the only horse figure with a rider.
It is one of England’s best known hill figures.
Some antiquarians linked him with the Anglo-Saxon deity Helis, while others believe he is the classical hero Hercules.
Still others believe he was carved during the English Civil War as a parody ofOliver Cromwell.
The Cerne Abbas Giant.
Locals would erect a maypole on the earthwork, around which childless couples would dance to promote fertility.
Long Man of Wilmington
Another famous hill figure depicting a human is the Long Man of Wilmington.
In that year an antiquarian marked out the outline with yellow bricks to make the figure more prominent.
The origin of the Long Man is also of mystery.
Some believe it was created by monks from nearby Wilmington Priory between the 11th and 15th centuries.
Other believe the figure dates back to Roman times.
Long Man of Wilmington.
Photo credit: David Dennis/Shutterstock.com
Long Man of Wilmington.
Notice the man standing on the lower left corner of the figure, for scale.
The white bird immediately became a landmark and could be seen from miles around.
For a while the Kiwi was maintained by the Kiwi Polish Company because of its advertising value.
The Bulford Kiwi is currently maintained by the British Army.
Photo credit:Jonathanjosh1/Wikimedia
A 1919 postcard depicting the Bulford Kiwi.
Originally, twenty badges were craved, but only nine remain today.
Fovant Badges, Wiltshire, England.
The figure was nearly forgotten until it was uncovered and restored in 2005.
It is now visible for several miles across the Dunstable Downs.
Photo credit:David Jones/Flickr
