formations, formations, formations
taking a plank for
a walk
a walk
(from top):
Silbury Hill, West Kennett, Wiltshire, July 2000. Aerial photo by Peter Sørensen.
Golden Ball Hill, near Alton Barnes, Wiltshire, July 2004. Aerial photo by Peter Sørensen.
Tan Hill, near Stanton St Bernard, Wiltshire, July 2004. Aerial photo by Peter Sørensen.
Silbury Hill, West Kennett, Wiltshire, August 2004. This was in the next field along from the July 2000 formation mentioned above. Aerial photo by Peter Sørensen.
East Field, Alton Priors, Wiltshire, July 2005. Ground shot by CCN.
There may well be others that we've missed out here and it does also have to be said that these reports vary in quality, with some of them being quite sketchy. If anybody has further information on any of these accounts, or any others that we've not listed, please let us know.
Firs Farm, Beckhampton, Wiltshire, June 1992
An unidentified team, spotted by John Macnish, and detailed (with photographs) on page 132 of his book Crop Circle Apocalypse. In his words:
'It was about one in the morning and… I was driving along the A361... towards Beckhampton when on passing Firs Farm I decided to stop the car in a small lay-by just past the farm. For a few moments I scanned the fields across the road with the miniature night-sight, I thought I saw something that wasn't there last time I looked. I got out of the car and started to walk along the chalky track which ran towards a group of tumuli on top of the hill… There were circles up there and I hadn't seen them before…
'I had to get this on video and I knew that the large image intensifier would show far more detail than the small portable sight.
'Back at the car I wrestled in the dark with cables, batteries, tapes, and all the other kit I needed to record the evidence. It was some time before I stumbled back up the track and looked for a good vantage point to set up.
'When everything was… working I switched on the small monitor and stared at the screen in disbelief, there were two huge circles and moving inside them were people!…
'I had missed most of the construction process, all that I managed to record were two people apparently completing the two circles and walking off over the brow of the hill. I knew that this was enough, there was no way that people would be working in pitch blackness in the early hours of the morning in fresh crop circles unless they were making them.'
Silbury Hill, 6th July 2000
Perpetrators spotted arriving at the Silbury Hill carpark at 2.30am, and
heading towards the field with circlemaking equipment. This account
is detailed on page 18 of SC # 92 (September / October 2000):'On the night this [formation] appeared, a lady whose camper van was parked below Silbury was woken around 2.30am by cars drawing up outside. Peering out behind her curtains, she watched some known alleged circlemakers arriving, implements in hand! This formation was there the next morning.'
The article, however, does not name the woman or list any sources. Another mention on page 4 of the same SC suggests that the circlemaker in question was Matthew Williams: 'How many formations Williams and Co have or haven't made isn't known… see the Silbury and West Overton reports [August 25th 2000 - the formation for which Williams was prosecuted] this issue for a pointer.'
Avebury, Wiltshire, 21st June 2002
Darren Francis writes: 'I was in the area the night this appeared with my girlfriend Clai, to celebrate the Solstice; unsurprisingly, there were a lot of people about. At about 2AM we were close to the bottom of the field and I'd fallen asleep. Clai noticed torches in the field and at the top of the hill. As dawn came we could just make out the formation, went over as the sun came up, and were among the first in.'
Cherhill, Wiltshire, 3rd August 2002
Circlemakers caught by the farmer; formation unfinished.
There’s a slight degree of confusion about this case, involving two formations in the same wheat field directly below the Cherhill white horse; one a ‘flower’ design, the other a thick ring surrounding a small central circle. Some reports state that the ring appeared a few nights earlier, though the farmer himself, Mr M Ainslie, writes (on Paul Vigay’s Crop Circle Research website): 'Both formations appeared on the night of 2.7.02 [presumably he means 2.8.02] and are in similar place to the 1999 formation.' And he should know, we guess. He also caught the culprits whilst in the process of making it/them, hence the ‘unfinished’ quality of the flower (some of the outer petals were flattened, some not) - presumably, if both appeared in one night, the same team were also responsible for the ring. Mr Ainslie also writes that despite rumours to the contrary, 'as farmers of this land we have never given permission for a formation, but have on occasions been telephoned after a formation has appeared and given names of supposed perpetrators.' As far as we know the identities of the circlemakers in this particular case are not known - apparently they fled the scene when the farmer arrived. Note also that, according to Jonah Ohayv, the team left a stomper behind.
West Stowell, Wiltshire, 14th August 2002
An overlapping ring design, located close to the road in a wheat field below Golden Ball Hill, close to East Field. The perpetrators were observed by a group of croppies on Woodborough Hill (apparently torches were seen in the field). The identities of circlemakers / oberservers are not known to us.
East Field, Wiltshire, 2nd August 2003
The creators of this formation were seen by several different groups of people, including researchers Andreas Mueller and Werner Anderhab, who observed the half-finished formation at 2.00am through night vision. A very thorough write-up of this case can be found in Allan Brown's article The East Field/South Field Duality. To save us having to repeat all the details here, we'd recommend you go there.
Cherhill, Wiltshire, 4th August 2003
Cars were seen leaving the area after the formation was completed. Ron Russell later admitted that the formation was the work of his team, and that they had the permission of the farmer.
Golden Ball Hill, Wiltshire, 26th July 2004
Rod Bearcloud claims
to have witnessed eight to ten people - presumably the makers - leaving this
formation early in the morning of its discovery. In his words: 'I
was compelled to be at Golden Ball Hill at 4.30am on 26-7-04 for a night
watch... As I was walking down the path, first I saw a gentleman out side
leaning against his car as if waiting for something... A minute or so later
I passed 8 to 10 people quickly walking up the path returning to their cars.
I almost ran into them as they were wearing black, carrying things slung over
their shoulders. Although slilent they felt very intense and it put
me off even going onto Golden Ball Hill. I returned to my car as the
people in black loaded the cars with the things they were carrying and jumped
in quickly leaving. There were 3 or 4 cars or so it seemed. Not
really thinking much about them, I drove to the opposite corner of East Field
and parked. I decided to walk down to a small plot of land where at
this same time last year, 26 of July, 2003 I witnessed a UFO taking off...
As I was returning from this spot it was getting light, I turned and
looked back behind me when my eyes caught a geometric design on a field.
Surprised, I took a course that led me to the field and as I entered the
design I realised that it was from this direction that I saw the shady characters
were returning to their cars. I realised at that moment that I was
more than likely witnessing a hoax. Much to my dismay, I walked around
the field carefully looking at its structure which seemed to me to be well
done. There were a few things that led me to believe someone might
have created it. I decided to take a path to see if I could find their
path to the car park. Sure enough, I found a direct path with a lightly
worn foot path leading into the direction of the field where a sign had been
posted which said 'private access'. When I walked up the path it lead
me to the exact location of where I had seen them returning to their cars.'This account has been questioned by some, who maintain that it does not prove that the people Bearcloud saw leaving the field made the circle. Another point made by John Lundberg, which we have to say we agree with, is that it seems odd that it would take eight to ten people to make what is a relatively simple formation, which requires little in the way of measuring and flattening and which - we believe - could easily be accomplished by two or three people. What were the others doing? Standing around watching? Or did they take turns to do bits?
For an alternative explanation of this formation's origins, see Andrew
Buckley's report here, in which he
claims to have witnessed it being created by an Apache helicopter. Inevitably,
he didn't think to film the incident using the 'Panasonic video camera' he
makes a point of mentioning he had in his possession, even though by his
estimation the incident lasted for several minutes.Tan Hill, nr Stanton St Bernard, 28th-31st July 2004
This relatively simple and - in our view - somewhat clunky-looking formation took a staggering four nights to complete. Contemporary records indicate that the creators were spotted at least once, though details are sketchy. Peter Sorensen writes that 'on the second night they were spotted by researchers with night vision up above them on the hill', and Freddy Silva writes that they were spotted twice, though does not give details.
Silbury Hill, Wiltshire, 2nd & 3rd August 2004
It's widely known that this formation took two nights to complete, appearing
on the morning of 2nd August as an outline with flattened central circle
and perimeter, with the much more accomplished and familiar design being executed
the following night. Even at the time we remember reports that the
makers had been rumbled mid-creation on the first night, and Andreas Mueller's
field report that first morning described 'a rough executed, very heavily
flattened and mechanical lay' and the finding of 'three white marking-plates
numbered 2, 4 and 6... known to be used by several hoaxers' and presumably
left behind when they fled the scene. It isn't clear, however, who
spotted them exactly, or even if they were spotted - if they were, we're curious
as to how the spotters knew they were there since the formation was on top
of a hill and not visble from nearby roads. The only vantage point
we can think of in the area where it might be possible to spot somebody is
the top of West Kennett Longbarrow (from where it might even be possible to
hear a particularly noisy team) or Silbury Hill, but only if some sort of
illumination was being used by the circlemakers.Freddy Silva, on his Crop Circular site, goes even further; he claims that 'they were caught making it, by no fewer than three couples from two countries; two of these couples independently confirmed that an Italian TV crew even helped the hoaxers with the finishing touches!' Again, no evidence, or identities, are given.
East Field, Wiltshire, 18th July 2005
Another account from Bearcloud
(see Golden Ball Hill, 26th July 2004, above).In Bearcloud's words:
'As I was looking at the field I spotted a new formation. It was now 3:45am or so. It appeared to be fairly large. I got out of my car and looked again. I decided to go out into it. So with my glasses I figured out which tramline to go down. I lifted up my glasses again there where four people standing in the field. As I started towards the glyph they began to walk quickly out the backside towards Golden-ball Hill. It would be a long journey to go the length of the field as the glyph is only a short distance from the Alton Priors road. I realized I had been spotted so they needed to leave. It is my belief that a car parked near mine was a spotter to let them know that someone might be near by and was coming onto the field… There is a line out the top of the larger circle which left me with a feeling it was incomplete and I had fouled the conclusion with my presence.'