In an area which has played host to many Sussex crop formations over the years, a new and beautiful design was discovered in green wheat on the morning of 3rd June 2002.  Locals confirm the field was empty the day before.

The design is essentially a ringed circle with two crescent arms each side, each culminating in a small circle.  Averaging things out, the centre circle is 62' diameter, while the ring is 120' diameter and 6' wide.  The arms are both 194' in walking length, 23' width at the widest part and 1' at the tips.  The small outer circles are both 24' diameter.  The total distance across the formation, from outer circle to outer circle, is 280'.  (Detailed measurements can be obtained from SCR on request.) 

The pattern is clear-cut and well-laid (messy paths through standing areas were not there when first viewed and have been added by visitors, and a fair amount of crop recovery was also visible just two days later).  The centre circle was laid anticlockwise, whilst the ring was largely laid clockwise, but had a very thin counter-rotating flow less than a foot wide within the inner edge of its lay.  The outer circles were both anticlockwise, while the arms were swept outwards towards the tips.  Curiously, there is evidence from overlapping in the lay to show that the arms were laid first, before the ring from which they project.  The lay of the outer circle on the northern arm was a continuation of the flow from the crescent, which swept in from the tip and then splayed out again to create the circle.

DIAGRAMS by Allan Brown

The field containing the formation borders the busy A27 to the south and Halewick Lane to the east.  At night, the field is well-lit by glow from streetlamps and overlooked by a pub and many houses.  The design can just be seen from the large crossroads on the A27, but is best viewed from the sloping estates led to by Halewick Lane.  Being in the area east of the famous Templar church of St Mary's, this field is, to our knowledge, one of the few here never to have had a crop pattern in it before now.  The field immediately west has contained two spectacular Celtic crosses in previous years and other fields north, south and east have all had their own designs.

DIAGRAMS by Allan Brown

On the night the formation appeared, at about 1.00am, a local boy, aged about 10, reported being woken by an intense bright light coming through his curtains.  Looking out, the light source appeared to be coming from above the field in question.  His half-sister was also awake and, once alerted, peered out and also saw the light.  It lasted for two or three minutes and then went out abruptly.  They found the experience rather frightening.  The children, interviewed in the formation by Southern Circular Research, seemed reliable and believable.

Formation and control samples of seed heads have been sent to Dr Andrew King of the Centre for Crop circle Studies to carry out Soluble Nitrates tests.

SCR obtained full permission from the farmer to conduct surveys and samples in this formation.   

SURVEYS CARRIED OUT BY:  Allan Brown, Geoff Stray, Tania Woodward and Andy Thomas

DIAGRAMS by Allan Brown

PHOTOS by David Russell

Report by ANDY THOMAS, Southern Circular Research

Copyright (C) 2002

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