Historian Karen Heaney discovered that in 1932, the UK Home Office considered covering the Cerne Abbas Giant's erect penis with trees after a complaint from Dorset resident Walter Long, who called the 180-foot chalk figure an "obscene" offense to Christian values. Home Office official Cecil Yates proposed the tree-planting to the National Trust, but the Chief Constable of Dorset Police consulted the Home Office, which ultimately denied the request to avoid distorting the national monument.
This matters because it reveals a little-known attempt at censorship of one of England's most iconic ancient landmarks, highlighting ongoing tensions between public morality and cultural heritage. The episode underscores how historic monuments have long been subject to debates over decency, and the decision to preserve the giant's original form—including its prominent genitalia—helped maintain its status as a major tourist attraction and symbol of fertility.