Cerne Abbas

This pretty village beside the River Cerne takes its name from Cerne Abbey, formerly a major Benedictine monastery of which an imposing 15th century gatehouse, a tithe barn of the same period, and a holy well still survive, all well worth seeing. So, too, are the lofty, airy church with grotesque gargoyles and medieval statues adorning its west tower, and the old Market House on Long Street. In fact, there is much to see in this ancient village where cottages dating back to the 14th century still stand.

But the major visitor attraction is to be found just to the north of the village – the famous Cerne Abbas Giant (National Trust), a colossal 180 feet-high figure cut into the chalk hillside, brandishing a club, naked and full-frontal. An ancient tradition asserts that any woman wishing to become pregnant should sit, or preferably sleep the night, on the giant’s huge erect penis, some 22 feet long. The age of this extraordinary carving is hotly disputed but a consensus is emerging that it was originally created by ancient Britons as a fertility symbol and that the giant’s club was added by the Romans. (There are clear similarities between the giant and the representation of Hercules on a Roman pavement of AD 191, preserved at Sherborne Castle). As with all hill-carvings, the best view is from a distance, in this case from a layby on the A352. A curious puzzle remains. The giant’s outlines in the chalk need a regular scouring to remove grass and weeds. Should this be neglected, he would soon fade into the hillside. In medieval centuries, such a non-essential task of conservation could only have been authorised by the locally all-powerful Abbots of Cerne. What possible reason did those Christian advocates of chastity have for carefully preserving such a powerful pagan image of virility?