YeinJee's Travel Journal

I joined a day tour to Bath and Stonehenge. The tour departed on 8am, on a Mercedes-Benz MPV, with a driver (who was also our guide), as well as 13 other tourists.

The driver stopped midway on the journey, and pointed us to a large horse-like figure, on a hill slope distance away.

Honestly I was blurred about what he said (something about chalk), as I never read or heard anything about that prior to seeing it. I only learnt later when I surfed online, that the ‘horse’ is Cherhill White Horse, or Oldbury White Horse.

Cherhill White Horse and Lansdowne Monument

Cherhill White Horse is one of the famous chalk figures that have been carved into hillsides in England; also known as hill figures.

The figures are usually created by clearing the grass and soil on the hillside, and exposed the bedrock which is normally white chalk, a form of limestone.

There are vary reasons for carving the figures; most of the white horses are believed to be carved as a symbol of good luck.

The age of the figures varied too, from as old as Bronze Age to as recent as the past century. The Cherhill White Horse that I was seeing was created in 1780.

The figures need to be maintained to stay visible; a major restoration was carried out on Cherhill White Horse in August 2002, involving re-cutting the outline of the horse, fixing shuttering to hold the chalk in place, and resurfacing the horse with 160 tonnes of fresh chalk. [reference]

Lansdowne Monument

Nearby the Cherhill White Horse is an obelisk, the Lansdowne Monument, which was erected in 1845 by the Third Marquis of Lansdowne to commemorate his ancestor, Sir William Petty. It’s said that the obelisk is the highest point between London and Bristol, interesting ain’t so? [reference]

Trafalgar Square is just a few minutes walk from Piccadilly Circus. The square was under renovation; in normal days it should be crowded with tourists and Londoners. It is a popular hangout location for London youth, who often referred to the square as Traf.

Trafalgar Square was built in 1820s (completed in 1840) to commemorate the Battle of Trafalgar (or Cabo Trafalgar, 1805), a glorious British naval victory against a combined French and Spanish fleet.

The square used to be a favourite spot for pigeons; when I was there in 2001, the pigeons’ droppings were covering the floor, fountains, statues and nearby buildings. The feeding of pigeons is not allowed since 2003, and that probably contributed to their significant reduce in numbers. I am not sure how the Londoners felt, but I missed those pigeons; for me it’s part of the square.

Photo of Nelson’s Column, Trafalgar Square

At the centre of Trafalgar Square is the Nelson’s Column; built to commemorate Admiral Horatio Nelson who died in the Battle of Trafalgar. The granite column itself is 151 feet tall; and the 18 feet statue of Lord Nelson stands on top of the column.

Admiral Horatio Nelson, or Lord Nelson, is one of the greatest naval heroes in UK history. Nelson is famous for Battle of Nile (1798) and Battle of Trafalgar (1805). He was injured in the Battle of Trafalgar and died after the British fleet achieved their victory.

Nelson was given a state funeral and entombment in St Paul’s Cathedral, London. The bullet that killed Nelson was taken out from his body and is currently in display at Windsor Castle.

I think lots of tourists would know about Piccadilly Circus, the famous traffic intersection and gathering spot of London. I doubt many of them would know the name of the iconic fountain and statue though… the Shaftesbury Monument Memorial Fountain, or Shaftesbury Memorial.

Shaftesbury Monument and Eros

The winged-nude statue on top of the fountain has it own name too, The Angel of Christian Charity, popularly known as Eros after the mythical Greek God of Love.

Piccadilly Circus is within walking distance from St James’s Park. The circus is a busy place; set aside the constant traffic jam, the area is surrounded with theatres, shopping malls, hotels, restaurants and pubs. China Town is just a few blocks away as well.

The neon signboards at Piccadilly Circus are quite a scene at night; probably not as splendid as New York’s Time Square, but pretty spectacular indeed.

When I visited London a few years ago there are lots of pizzerias and Kebab stores around the Piccadilly Circus, but only a few of them remained at the area. I still managed to grab a pizza nearby, but it wasn’t as good as it used to be.