Chalk Monuments
On the chalk hills of the Kent Downs there are four ‘hill figures’ carved into the slopes of the hills themselves.
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Geosite details
There are over 50 hill figures found across the UK – the four in Kent are: The Shoreham Memorial Cross, The Lenham Memorial Cross, The Wye Chalk Crown, and the Folkestone White Horse.
These hill figures are an excellent example of the connection between geological and cultural heritage which is so strong in our Chalk-based landscape.
The Shoreham and Lenham Crosses were created in 1921 and 1922, respectively, and commemorate the fallen soldiers of the first and second world wars that came from these villages. The Wye Crown was created to celebrate the coronation of King Edward VII in 1902. And the Folkestone White horse was created much more recently, in 2003, and has become symbolic of the town of Folkestone. You can read more about the hill figures of the Kent Downs here.
How to get here
- Where to start? The four monuments can be reached from Folkestone, Lenham, Shoreham and Wye.
- Travelling by train? With around 40 stations in and bordering the National Landscape with connecting links to London and the continent, the Kent Downs and Cross-Channel Global Geopark can be readily accessed by train.