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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... continues...
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... continues...
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... continues...
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... continues...
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... continues...
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.
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.
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.
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.
This post appears as part of the weblog entry Windover 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 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"
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.
This post appears as part of the weblog entry Windover Hill