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Crop circle

Cheesefoot Head

Near Winchester, Hampshire

The bowl in the downs where two pensioners say the whole thing began.

This natural bowl in the South Downs was a favourite spot for early circles. In September 1991 two Southampton men in their sixties, Doug Bower and Dave Chorley, told a national newspaper they had been making circles since 1976, using a plank, a length of rope and a cap with a wire sight.

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When
1976–1991
Where
51.0596, -1.2655
Group
Crop circles

Visiting

Beside the A272 east of Winchester, with a lay-by and the South Downs Way close by.

Cover of UFO Cases of Britain by Cale Mills
From the book

UFO Cases of Britain

There were theories about whirlwinds, ball lightning, magnetic fields and visitors from other worlds. The answer, when it came, involved a plank, a length of rope, and a pair of men from Southampton.

Fifty-four real and closely examined British UFO cases, weighed with honesty rather than hype. From Rendlesham Forest, the best-documented UFO case the United Kingdom has ever produced, to the Berwyn Mountains, the Broad Haven schoolchildren, the Calvine photograph and the Bonnybridge hotspot, each case sets out what was seen, who saw it and what the explanations are.

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