Long Man, Wilmington

Long Man (watercolour on paper 70m x 50cm)

Nobody knows exactly how old this figure is, or why he was originally cut into the chalk hillside. Records of him are sketchy before the eighteenth century, although it is feasible that it could date to the dark ages and beyond. In many ways, it’s like a centuries-old Angel of the North, acting as a sign of the beginning of the ancient path along the ridgeway of the South Downs. I was surprised to discover that these days the outline of the Long Man is marked out in breeze-blocks, although it doesn’t really detract from the overall sense of awe and anticipation you get when you first sight it.