The Tattooed Hills

Name: The Tattooed Hills
Price: 39.99 AUD
Availability: OutOfStock
ISBN: 9781805700265

Journeys to Chalk Figures

Jon Woolcott

$39.99

Hardback

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English

Aurum
31 March 2026

Ancient history: to c 500 CE; Archaeology by period & region; Travel writing

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.

By: Jon Woolcott
Imprint: Aurum
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 216mm, Width: 135mm,
Weight: 750g
ISBN: 9781805700265
ISBN 10: 180570026X
Pages: 256
Publication Date: 31 March 2026
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active

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.'

Reviews for The Tattooed Hills: Journeys to Chalk Figures

'An alluring blend of travel writing, cultural history, archaeology, folklore, literature and more.' -- Caroline Sanderson * The Bookseller, Editors Choice *