By choosing to arrive during the second week of April, the first formation of 2007 really caught us by surprise. Placed close to Oliver’s Castle (an ancient hillfort that’s near to Devizes in Wiltshire) this event was not only the earliest we’ve known in Wiltshire but also the largest we’ve ever seen in oilseed rape. Field reports suggested that It had arrived somewhere around the 13th of April which in fact was a couple of days before its reported date of the 15th. Suggesting a play on numbers it measured a staggering 333ft across, which included a large outer ring that coincidently measured 33ft in width!...All in all this very positive and precise opener from “The Circlemakers” appeared to promise much for the season that was about to unfold.
 Photo 1: Oliver’s Castle Wiltshire – 13th April © Steve Alexander |
Despite it being one of the worst summers weather-wise the crop circles slowly returned. Visiting soggy formations in relentless drizzle isn’t much fun but it didn’t stop “The Circlemakers” from putting them down.
As unpredictable as ever, an amazing set of circles forming a spiral appeared in late May near Avebury in Wiltshire. Spread across an area of approx. 250ft this precisely laid event in wind-shaken barley proved quite puzzling…Was it some sort of code or a calendar of sorts?
 Photo 2: Yatesbury nr. Avebury Wiltshire – 30th May © Steve Alexander |
Early on the season and much to the annoyance of many, there were quite a number of hoaxed circles that were deliberately created to try and fool us. The “circle-fakers” seem to relish the idea of trying to create some sort of a design that will set out to deceive and bewilder…Something that unfortunately often dampens down the enthusiasm of newcomers to this fascinating subject. But in order to create what we discover in genuine formations they have to create multi-directional layering and the like, along with waves and all sorts of feathered complexities etc…And these require methods of construction that these jokers aren’t capable of. It simply has to be said that these “plankers” are actually con-men and their work exists as being a big nothing when you compare them to the many beautiful masterpieces we’ve long been blessed with.
Any doubts or fears about the existence of a real phenomenon this year were quickly dispelled with the appearance on the 14th of June of a beautiful serpentine-molecular design that consisted of 19 immaculately laid crescent-like spheres.
 Photo 3: Westbury Hill Wiltshire - 14th June © Steve Alexander |
On the 28th of June a really unusual formation appeared next to the West Kennet Long Barrow which is near Avebury in Wiltshire. Many circles have landed next to this ancient barrow over the years and usually the farmer has been quite tolerant. But on this occasion it so angered him to learn that he was on the receiving end once again, that he quickly cut it out.
Open to much interpretation, basically the design presented us with a perspective drawing that created a three-dimensional illusion. A sort of diminishing “Alice in Wonderland” corridor that appears to offer us a number of open doorways that tempt us to enter.
 Photo 4: West Kennett Long Barrow, nr. Avebury Wiltshire – 28th June © Steve Alexander |
Leonado Da Vinci employed this perspective that creates the illusion of 3D in his painting of the “Last Supper”. In fact we can easily compare the formation to the similar background that’s found in the painting…
 The Last Supper |
Could it be that “The Last Supper” is part of the message here? For within these “End Times” isn’t it true to say that much of humanity’s enjoying “Its Last Supper”?
The black and white checker-board floor symbolises the age-old perception of duality…the level playground. All that’s within the side doors is all we’ve past explored and now we’re being drawn through the formations perspective towards a zero point on the horizon…the end door. “The Circlemakers” in no uncertain terms are letting us know that we’re moving away from the comfort or familiarity of a three-dimensional illusion in order to embrace a new reality.
A week or so later “The Circlemakers” repeated the message of other realities in a way that most would never have expected. The East Field event of the 7th of July was truly amazing!
 Photo 5: East Field nr. Alton Barnes Wiltshire – 7th July © Steve Alexander |
East Field near Alton Barnes in Wiltshire seems to attract crop circles like a magnet. Some of the most groundbreaking events have landed here over the years and the one that appeared during July of this year was no exception. Because of its notoriety it’s became one of the most watched fields in “croppyland”. Given that the 7th of the 7th of the 7th was an exceptional day numerically, several people took it upon themselves during the night of the 6th and 7th to keep a close watch on it from the nearby hillside. UFO researcher Winston Keech kept up his personal vigil throughout with a number of sophisticated night vision cameras that were set to continually scan the field.
Just after 3am (3.08 AM) in the pitch black, many were startled by a sudden flash of light that briefly lit up the whole area. This was also captured on video and appeared as a flicker…Minutes later as the field became more visible through the approach of early light, a large dark shadow that could only just be made out by the naked eye had appeared in the field. Later when all the camera footage was enhanced, the high-tech cameras revealed that at around 1.30am we had a blank field but by 3.20am there was the formation!..(Please note it’s believed that this time window was considerably shorter than this but due to a bit of a human-hitch, just less than two hours is the only time gap we can safely rely on!)
This massive formation that consisted of 150 circles ranging from 160 feet to 2 feet in diameter measured a staggering 1,033 in length and was 450 feet at its widest. It broke records for being the largest area of downed crop ever laid in the history of crop circles and as such would’ve been nigh on impossible to achieve by hoaxing team within such a short space in time.
When you view the formation from above the circles look absolutely perfectly round. But East Field is by no means a flat field and in order to make circles look one hundred percent circular in a field that rises up and down you have to create ovals! Within pitch-black conditions and within a limited time frame this task would’ve proved nigh on impossible for humans to create.
Which circles have to be oval and which have to be circular?..Isn’t it obvious that you would have to know with absolute certainty exactly which part of the field you were in?..
Before we could get our breath back after this event an exquisite butterfly landed close to the Ridgeway at Hailey Wood nr. Ashbury in Oxfordshire…
 Photo 6: Hailey Wood nr. Ashbury Oxfordshire – 16th July © Steve Alexander |
It’s interesting to note that this beautiful formation is designed and laid out as a mirror image. Canadian researcher Chet Snow who visited the field noted that the two “antennae” circles were mirrored in their lay. The “left” circle was laid counter-clockwise whilst the one to the “right” was laid down clockwise. This was also true of the large circles at the centre-tips of the wings.
Graham Tucker © 2007
End notes
1. All photographs used by kind permission of Steve Alexander © 2007.Steve is a professional crop circle photographer who produces a beautiful yearbook illustrating the season's events. Details to be found on his homepage at: www.temporarytemples.co.uk/
2. Don't forget to visit the Kent site at: www.medwaycropcircle.co.uk