Whipsnade
Chalk Figures
White Lion
Places > Whipsnade > Monuments
The Whipsnade white lion can be seen for miles across the Downs. It was intended not just as an advert for the zoo at Whipsnade but also as a warning to low - flying pilots to keep away and not frighten the animals.
The lion was designed by R.B. Brook-Greaves. Work started on cutting out the chalk lion on the Downs in 1932. The lion was to be four hundred and eighty feet long, and its total perimeter three-eights of a mile. This now famous landmark was no mean undertaking. Not only was there the physical effort of cutting and digging - all done manually - there was also the piling up of chalk, since the lion was to be a solid shape and not just an outline. It was necessary to make frequent visits across to Ivinghoe Beacon to check the accuracy of the shape. The project took eighteen months and was completed in Easter 1933.
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Page last updated: 4th February 2014