Volunteers and National Trust workers have begun rechalking the Cerne Giant in Dorset this week, using a chalk-and-water paste instead of the dry packing method that was used in earlier restorations. The 55-metre chalk figure, one of Britain’s largest hill drawings, is being treated differently because the hillside is now behaving differently too.
That work is under way now because the giant has started to lose some of its sharp white edge, and the National Trust says warmer, wetter conditions may be part of the reason. Luke Dawson said algae growth is dulling the outline and that heavier rainfall can push water over the slope and gradually wear away the chalk, which means the figure needs more careful monitoring than it did in the past.
The site is normally rechalked roughly every seven to 10 years, and the last full restoration was in 2019. Before that, the giant was rechalked in 2008, when workers packed dry chalk into the lines and tamped it down; the same approach was used again in 2017. This time, the chalk is being mixed with water to form a paste that Dawson described as having a putty-like texture, making it easier to make it stick on a steep hill.
The change matters because the giant is centuries old, but the weather patterns affecting it are not. Dawson said the figure is being altered by the modern world, with milder winters, wetter summers and more intense rainfall creating conditions that can encourage algae and slowly strip away the chalk. That is forcing the trust to think not just about restoring the giant once, but about how often it may need attention if those conditions continue.
For Debby van den Berg, who said her family was surprised to learn she would spend part of the holiday period rechalking the figure, the work carries a personal weight as well as a conservation one. She called it a special task, while Dawson said the giant remains a beloved figure and that everyone in the village has a connection with it.
The National Trust needs 17 tonnes of chalk for the job and owns the site, leading the restoration after a nationwide fundraising appeal earlier this year helped it buy significant areas of land around the giant. That appeal reached its £330,000 target in 60 days, with donations arriving from across the UK and as far away as Australia, Japan and Iceland. The next test is whether this new paste method holds up better than the old one, or whether warmer, wetter conditions will force the giant to be rechalked more often from here on in.
