The Tattooed Hills

A journey through Britain's chalklands, uncovering the stories, symbolism and shifting meanings of the mysterious figures carved into our 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 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, it illuminates the powerful ways in which we inscribe meaning onto the land itself.

For example, Jon Woolcott visits: The Westbury White Horse, The Cerne Abbas Giant, Groundtruthing the Panda, The Long Man of Wilmington, The Lost Red Horse of Tysoe.

A captivating exploration of landscape, culture and belonging, The Tattooed Hills reveals how the chalk beneath our feet connects us to our past and continues to shape who we are today.