"A fascinating detective story told with humor and joy that unravels the threads of history and legend to reveal the strange stories of Britain's hill figures." – Fiona Roberston, author of Stone Lands
A journey through Britain’s chalklands, uncovering the stories, symbolism, and shifting meanings of the mysterious figures carved into its hills.
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. In The Tattooed Hills, writer Jon Woolcott travels to these remarkable sites, exploring their history and the deep cultural roots that link landscape to identity.
Part travelogue, part cultural history, Woolcott examines how these figures—sometimes ancient, sometimes surprisingly recent—reflect the nation's 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.
A captivating exploration of landscape, culture, and belonging, The Tattooed Hills reveals how the Britain' chalklands connect to the past and shapes the country today.
"Woolcott is the most splendid company on this intoxicating, immaculately researched tour of chalky weirdness." – Charles Foster
"An alluring blend of travel writing, cultural history, archaeology, folklore, literature, and more." - The Bookseller
"Witty, evocative, and profoundly human."– John Grindrod
"If I say the book is right up there with John Higgs' Watling Street and Rob Cowen's The North Road, then you'll know what to expect and just how highly I rate what Jon has pulled off here." – John Mitchinson
Jon Woolcott is a writer and publisher from Dorset. His writing has appeared in The Bookseller, Caught by The River, Slightly Foxed, Echtrai Journal, for the Venice Biennale, and he writes regular travel articles for The Guardian. His book Real Dorset was published in 2023 by Seren Books. He’s also the editor of Going to Ground (Little Toller, 2024), an anthology of writing about place and nature, described by Nicola Chester as ‘a glorious, glittering anthology.’
