On Monday the 15th June 2020 Dan and I drove to Wilmington in East Sussex for a walk. We parked up at the free car park at Wilmington Priory and donned our boots. The sun was shining and it was set to be a hot day.
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In Saxon times Wilmington was known as Wineltone; it was recorded in the Domesday Book. In the village there is the 12th-century Parish Church of St Mary and St Peter; next to houses are the ruins of a 12th-century priory. The local public house is The Giant's Rest.
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| View of the priory from the car park. |
We cross the road and take the footpath that runs alongside, and then the climb up towards the Longman of Wilmington.
The Long Man of Wilmington or Wilmington Giant is a hill figure on the steep slopes of Windover Hill near Wilmington, East Sussex. Locally, the figure was once often called the "Green Man". The Long Man is 235 feet (72 m) tall, holds two "staves", and is designed to look in proportion when viewed from below.
Formerly thought to originate in the Iron Age or even the neolithic period, a 2003 archaeological investigation has shown that the figure may have been cut in the Early Modern era – the 16th or 17th century AD. From afar the figure appears to have been carved from the underlying chalk; but the modern figure is formed from white-painted breeze blocks and lime mortar.
The Long Man is one of two major extant human hill figures in England; the other is the Cerne Abbas Giant, north of Dorchester. Both are Scheduled Ancient Monuments. Two other hill figures that include humans are the Osmington White Horse and the Fovant regimental badges. The Long Man is one of two hill figures in East Sussex; the other is the Litlington White Horse.
The origin of the Long Man remains unclear. For many years the earliest known record was a drawing made by William Burrell when he visited Wilmington Priory, near Windover (or Wind-door) Hill, in 1766. Burrell's drawing shows a figure holding a rake and a scythe, both shorter than the present staves. In 1993, another drawing was discovered in the Devonshire Collections at Chatsworth House which had been made by the surveyor John Rowley in 1710, now the first definite date on which the figure is known to have existed.
An early suggestion, sometimes stated to be a local tradition, was that the Long Man had been cut by monks from nearby Wilmington Priory, and represented a pilgrim, but this was not widely believed by antiquarians, who felt that monks were unlikely to have created an unclothed figure. Until fairly recently the Long Man was most commonly asserted to have been cut in the neolithic period, primarily due to the presence of a long barrow nearby, or given an Iron Age attribution based on a perceived similarity to other hill figures.
Professor John North wrote that during the centuries around 3480 BC the figure would have been positioned to mark the constellation Orion's movement across the ridge above it. The figure, according to this interpretation, may have been a manifestation of a Neolithic astral religion. Another suggestion was that the figure had a Romano-British provenance, while an origin in the time of Anglo-Saxon England gained credence after the 1965 discovery at Finglesham in Kent of an Anglo-Saxon brooch depicting a figure, (possibly Odin), holding two spears in a similar fashion to the Long Man.
Archaeological work performed in 2003 by Professor Martin Bell of the University of Reading, in association with Aubrey Manning's Open University programme Landscape Mysteries, strongly suggested that the figure dates from the Early Modern period – the 16th or 17th century AD. Bell found that the slope on which the Long Man was cut had gone through a period of instability in this time, after a very long prior period of stability, suggesting that the figure was first cut then. This has opened up the possibility that the Long Man could be a Tudor or Stuart-era political satire in the manner recently posited for the Cerne Abbas giant, or possibly a religious image associated with the Reformation: Professor Ronald Hutton noted that "we can at least celebrate the fact that we have our first, apparently unequivocally, Early Modern hill figure, and historians now have to reckon with it."
Whatever the figure's origin, for much of its history it seems to have existed only as a shadow or indentation in the grass, visible after a light fall of snow or as a different shade of green in summer: it is described or illustrated as such in 1710, 1781, 1800, 1835 and 1851.Indeed, the figure was once known locally as the "Green Man".
In 1925, the site of the Long Man was given to the Sussex Archaeological Trust (now the Sussex Archaeological Society) by the Duke of Devonshire. During the Second World War it was painted green to avoid it being used as a landmark by German aircraft.
The 1993 book, The Druid Way by Sussex author Philip Carr-Gomm, drew attention to the supposed significance of the Long Man as a sacred site for the modern world.
At dawn on May Day, the Long Man Morris Men dance at the foot of the Long Man. The Long Man plays host to neo-pagan rituals on Sundays closest to the eight Pagan Festivals through the year.
After the short climb up, the path now levels and runs below the ridge.
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| Looking back down to Wilmington |
The South Downs never fail to make me gasp in awe, amazing scenery!
We walk downhill through a tree lined path, some needed shade from the blazing sun.
We are now approaching Alfriston.
We follow the Cuckmere River.
We crossed the White Bridge over into Alfriston.
There is strong evidence of ancient occupation of the area, since several Neolithic long barrows have been discovered on the surrounding Downs; among them, to the west is the fairly well preserved Long Burgh. In Saxon times the village was recorded as Aelfrictun (the town of Alfric), from which the Domesday Book records the town as Elfricesh-tun.
One building of historical importance is the Star Inn. Originally a religious hostel built in 1345 and used to accommodate monks and pilgrims en route from Battle Abbey to the shrine of St Richard, patron saint of Sussex, at Chichester Cathedral, it became an inn in the 16th century. Wooden figures grace the upper part of the building, whilst in the front is a one-time ship's figurehead representing a red lion. The latter is connected with the Alfriston smuggling gang who used the inn as a base; their leader was transported to Australia in 1830. Another important historical building is Dean's Place Hotel which was built in the 17th century or earlier.
The wooden sign for the village at the entrance to the Tye was carved by a previous vicar of the village who also repaired the Star Inn's red lion. The centre of the village is Market Square which contains a 15th-century market cross.
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| St Andrews Church |
The church was closed due to the pandemic restrictions.
The Alfriston parish church, dedicated to St Andrew, has Saxon origins, although most of the building dates from the 14th century. It is known, because of its size, as the Cathedral of the South Downs. It sits on a small, flint-walled mound in the middle of "the Tye" (the local village green), overlooking the River Cuckmere, and is surrounded by the flowered graveyard. It is built in the form of a cross. Today it is part of the united benefice which includes St Michael's Church at Litlington and All Saints Church at West Dean. Alfriston's former United Reformed Church is included in that grouping.
The 14th-century Alfriston Clergy House close by was originally a farmhouse but later became the vicarage. It is now maintained by the National Trust. It was the very first property bought by the Trust, in 1896, and it is a classic example of a Wealden hall house with thatched roof and timber-framed walls. It also has a tranquil garden and orchard on the banks of the Cuckmere.
I really wish I bothered to check the map so we could have seen the vilage centre and its market cross, but instead we headed back over the bridge to follow the Cuckmere. We'll have to come back!
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| View of St Andrews and the Clergy House from across the River. |
We follow the river for a distance.
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| View back to Alfriston |
Above the river we can see the White Horse of Litlington.
A sturdy horse in a standing position, similar to the Westbury horse, it is said to have been cut in one night in February 1924 by John T Ade, son of one of the first horse's creator William Adeit. Given the number of people and time taken to create others this does not seem credible. Another around says it was cut around 1924 or 1925.
When repaired after being camouflaged during WWII only one of the horses front legs was put back. This was put back on 09/06/1949 along with other restoration to make the horse look as originally cut. This has now been further altered, one of the forelegs raised to give greater definition in 1983. The horse was restored in the early 1980s and in 1993. It is currently said to be cared for by the National Trust, but is not listed on their main website except for a little on the history see below under old horse.
A lot of wooden boards are used to keep the chalk in place. The legs are not particularly well defined and there are rabbit burrows undermining parts of it. The horse is 93' long and 65' high. The area is fenced to prevent damage by livestock and the general public.
The earlier horse was said to have been cut around 1838. It is thought that it could have been to mark the coronation of Queen Victoria. It was lost around the time the new Litlington horse was cut, about a hundred yards to the south east. We don't know if it had already disappeared and the new horse was a replacement for it, or gone out of shape and it was easier to start again with a fresh site.
In another account on the National Trust website:- "The first horse was created one night in 1836 by the son of the tenant farmer at Frog Firle Farm along with his brothers and cousin. Since its mysterious arrival on the downs, many stories have been told about what it represents. Restoration work first took place on the White Horse after the war in 1945 and the figure took on its present form in 1983 when the front leg was altered to combat erosion. The National Trust restored the figure in 1993 and 1998 by reinforcing the outline with timber revetment and by adding chalk. The White Horse underwent further restoration work in 2003."
We leave the river and walk into Litlington.
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| Sadly all pubs are still closed! |
Litlington's name is Saxon, and literally means Litl's (followers or possibly family's) homestead. It is also potentially a corruption of Littleton but there is no evidence for its missing its -ing component.
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| St Michael the Archangel |
St Michael’s is a very good example of a Downland church, built of flint with stone dressings, a white painted weather-boarded wooden belfry tower which supports a broach spire covered with wooden shingles. The main part of the building is thought to have been erected in about 1150 A.D., but there are windows in the Chancel which may well be Norman, and the remains of two Norman window openings (since closed) are visible in the North wall of the Nave. The string courses (lines of stone) along the main walls, about nine feet above floor level, are Norman in origin. Interestingly, but inexplicably, the floor falls 13” from East to West. The massive beams which support the main roof are original. Once there were three, but the Victorians removed one close to the Chancel arch, which caused the church to split apart – since rectified by the insertion of a steel tie-bar. The ends of the remaining beams were repaired by the insertion of metal plates in 1993 as they had rotted badly where they sit on the external walls.
Now a highlight! We reach the Longman Brewery in Litlington.
They grow 500 acres of spring malting barley in the farmland surrounding the brewery. After brewing, over 150 Tonnes of ‘spent grain’ is fed to livestock on the farm, and any surplus is then composted.
We buy a Long Blonde and a Best Bitter each as this is all they had in bottles at the time, which was a shame I wanted to try the American pale ale!
So bottles in the backpack added a bit extra weight, we climb the never-ending steep hill behind in the blazing sun.
As you can see I was getting rather red in the face from the heat and exertion.
It flattens off and we walk around the top end of the valley.
We walk over Windover Hill, and start our way back down towards The Street.
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| Arlington Reservoir in the distance |
We stop for a drink break listening to the skylarks singing overhead and watching a Kestrel hovering above.
Down back down, we walk along The Street for a way before taking a path downhill into Milton Street.
We now walk through Milton Street a short way.
A old Telephone kiosk reused as a community library.
We take a footpath back towards Wilmington.
The Longman comes back in view.
We walk over into the church of St Mary and St Peter.
It is an active Anglican parish church on the deanery of Lewes and Seaford, the archdeaconry of Lewes and Hastings, and the diocese of Chichester. Founded in the late 11th century to serve villagers in a rural area at the foot of the South Downs, it also functioned as a priory church for the monks from the adjacent Wilmington Priory, to which it was physically connected. The building has "benefited from sympathetic restoration" over the centuries—including a series of works by prominent architects Paley and Austin in the Victorian era, and internal renovation after a fire in the early 21st century. The church is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade I listed building.
After the Norman Conquest in 1066, monks from Grestain Abbey, a Benedictine monastery in Normandy, took possession of the land around the village of Wilmington. They founded Wilmington Priory to administer their territory, and two or three monks lived there. It was never a large community, and no separate abbey church was ever built; the monks instead shared the chancel of village church. This was in existence by 1100 and served the farmers and villagers of Winelton, as it was known at the time. The church was connected to the priory by a cloister. In common with other alien priories in England, Wilmington Priory was suppressed by King Henry V in 1414 and fell into ruins. Thereafter, the church functioned solely as a parish church. A vast yew tree in the churchyard, scientifically dated as 1,600 years old and with a girth of 23 feet (7.0 m), suggests that the site was considered sacred to pre-Christian people. The existence of a "strange ... gargoyle-like" figure known as the Wilmington Madonna—originally on the outside wall but now preserved in the chancel—may also be evidence of pagan worship in the area.
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| The new bee and butterfly window |
A well-regarded stained glass window depicting British butterflies and bees, badly damaged by the fire, was replaced by a new design which kept the same theme but added images of Saint Peter and a phoenix rising from a fire.
Inside the church, the wooden pulpit is Jacobean, dating from about 1610. It has a back panel and a sounding board. The "splendid" and unusual fitting contrasts with the simplicity of the surrounding Norman architecture. The font dates from the 14th century, and consists of plain square bowl supported by a central column and four corner shafts. In the chancel are two square-headed aumbries, and set in the north chancel wall is a weathered piece of sculpture dating from the 11th or 13th century; this was moved from the outside of the church in 1948. On the north wall of the nave are the remains of a 17th-century painted inscription, and on the south wall is a painted panel bearing the Royal arms of Queen Victoria. An Elizabethan-era monument with Classical-style details stands in the south aisle. An unusual feature from the church's earliest days is a set of inward-facing stone seats attached to the inner walls of the chancel. Such benches were often found in 11th-century churches, albeit usually in the nave, but in most cases they were removed during later rebuilding work.
We pass the Priory on our way back to the carpark.
Wilmington Priory was a cell of the Benedictine Abbey at Grestain in Normandy and dates back to 1215. The priory has been added to and altered in every way, some of which has been lost to ruin and decay. What remains shows how prestigious the priory once was.
Open days for the building are held on eight days a year. The grounds, porch, crypt and ruins are open for 30 days between April and October. Please contact the Booking Office for dates.
Next to the priory is the old Wilmington village pound used to store stray animals.
We sit in the grounds next to the car park to drink one of our purchases from the Longman Brewery.
A great 8.5 mile walk. We drive a short way up the road to Middle Farm Cider Shack.
The National Collection of Cider & Perry is a unique celebration of our national fruit. Visitors can taste, compare and buy from a range of over 100 different draught ciders and perries (including our own Pookhill Cider).
As well as a huge range of meads, country wines and fruit liqueurs, the Collection holds a carefully selected range of draught and bottled ales. We also stock English cider brandies, apple gin, apple vodka and apple eaux-de-vie. Fresh apple juice is pressed daily and an apple-pressing service is offered throughout the late summer and autumn.
We buy some beers and cider before driving home.
