The Tattooed Hills | Jon Woolcott

Across southern England and beyond, the land bears the marks of centuries – white horses, giants, crosses, badges, even a lost panda – cut into the chalk and exposed to the sky. Part travelogue, part cultural history, writer Jon Woolcott examines how these figures – sometimes ancient, sometimes surprisingly recent – reflect our collective imagination, and how their interpretations have changed over time. Once emblems of pride or remembrance, they have become mirrors of our shifting values and contradictions. From Iron Age hillforts to modern regimental carvings, The Tattooed Hills brings together archaeology, folklore, art, literature and music to reveal the evolving story of Britain’s chalk landscapes and the people who shaped them.

Beautifully written and steeped in a sense of place, Woolcott visits many of England's Chalk figures, delving into their mysteries, including The Westbury White Horse, the Long Man of Wilmington, The Cerne Abbas Giant and the Uffington White Horse.