A turf-cut hill figure known as The Long Man of Wilmington, 914m south-east of Acorn Barn

Scheduled area

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History & significance

The Long Man of Wilmington is a turf-cut hill figure located on the chalk downland near Wilmington in East Sussex, England. The figure depicts a standing male form approximately 70 metres in height, holding what appear to be staves or clubs in each outstretched hand, and is cut into the steep south-facing slope of Windover Hill. The date of its creation remains uncertain, though scholarly opinion has long debated whether it originated in the Neolithic, Bronze Age, or Iron Age periods, with some arguments advanced for a much later Anglo-Saxon or early medieval date. The figure was restored and substantially recut in the nineteenth century under the supervision of the Wilmington historian and antiquary, and its present form therefore represents a significant nineteenth-century interpretation of an ancient design whose original appearance and period of origin continue to be subjects of scholarly discussion.

A turf-cut hill figure known as The Long Man of Wilmington, 914m south-east of Acorn Barn is a scheduled monument protected by Historic England under reference 1002293. View the official record →

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