30-06-2025
Cerne Abbas Giant nearly lost his manhood to a grove of trees
The Home Office once suggested concealing the famously prominent genitals of the Cerne Abbas Giant by planting trees over them.
In 1932, an official wrote to the National Trust proposing ways of hiding the Giant's 35ft penis after Walter Long, a Dorset resident, complained that the 'obscenity offended Christian values'.
In response, Cecil Yates, a Home Office official, wrote that perhaps trees could be planted on the Giant to hide his appendage. However, the request was dismissed as it was deemed inappropriate to tamper with a 'national monument'.
The 180ft tall hillside fertility figure has survived fully intact and can be seen in all its glory to this day on a hill above Cerne Abbas, Dorset.
The attempt to preserve the Giant's modesty was uncovered by Karen Heaney, a writer and local historian , who discovered a reference to the Home Office letter in a 1930s edition of Antiquity magazine while she was conducting research for a forthcoming book
The Giant was created by the Anglo-Saxons in the 8th century as a tribute to their god of health Helith. It is seen as a fertility symbol because of its phallus and courting couples have been known to visit under the cover of darkness in the hope of getting pregnant.
Mr Long had written to the Home Office enclosing a sketch of the Giant: 'If this sketch offends, please remember that we have the same subject, representing a giant 27,000 times life size, facing the main road from Dorchester to Sherborne...
'It is its impassioned obscenity that offends all who have the interest of the rising generation at heart, and I, we, appeal to you to make this figure conform to our Christian standards of civilisation.'
The complaint was taken seriously by Mr Yates, who highlighted 'the serious charge of indecency against a prehistoric national monument'. He wrote to the National Trust: 'What does the complainant want us to do? Plant a small grove of fig trees (on measurements hardly less would suffice) in a strategic position?'
After consulting with the Chief Constable of Dorset Police, the Home Office decided they could not intervene.
The Home Office wrote back to Mr Long explaining: 'I am directed by the Secretary of State to say that he has caused inquiry to be made and finds that the prehistoric figure of which you complain – the Giant of Cerne – is a national monument, scheduled as such, and vested in the National Trust.
'In the circumstances the Secretary of State regrets that he cannot see his way to take any action in the matter.'
