White Horses

Alton Barnes White Horse     Broad Hinton/Hackpen White Horse    Broad Town White Horse
Devizes/Snobs Horse   Pewsey White Horse    Marlborough White Horse   Devizes Millenium Horse   

Introduction to the Wiltshire White Horses
The Wiltshire Countryside is infamous for its chalk hill figures, in particular horses. There were believed to have been 13 horses in existence in Wiltshire, but only 8 are still visible today - five of these can be found in the district of Kennet.

A 90 mile circular walking route which visits all of the county's eight white chalk horses can be purchased from the Tourist Information Centres.

Alton Barnes White Horse
Located between Milk Hill & Walkers Hill on the Pewsey Downs, the Alton Barnes horse is thought to have been cut under Robert Pile, the son of the creator of the Pewsey old horse, in 1812.
An artist, John Thorne was selected to design and cut the horse on the hill above the village. He agreed to conditions, and was paid £20 in advance for his trouble. Thorne employed a local man, John Harvey to do the work, but disappeared before the work was finished taking the £20 with him.
The Alton Barnes horse faces south and is the largest of the Kennet Horses measuring 165ft by 180ft. The figure is best viewed from the bridge on the Kennet and Avon canal one mile south of the horse.
Grid reference: SU 106 637

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Broad Hinton/Hackpen White Horse
The Hackpen Horse was cut to commemorate the Coronation of Queen Victoria in 1838. Although little is known about the origins of the horse it is believed to have been cut by Henry Eatwell, Parish clerk of Broad Hinton and the local publican.

The horse measures 90ft by 90ft and is best viewed from the A361 between Avebury and Swindon at Broad Hinton.
Grid reference: SU 128 749


Broad Town White Horse
Situated on the hill to the east of the village of Broad Town this horse wascompleted in 1863 by a local farmer William Simmonds.
Measuring 86ft by 61ft it is rumoured that Mr Simmonds had desires to make the figure larger, but he gave up farming and this was never achieved. In subsequent years the horse fell into neglect and the lower parts of its legs became lost.

In 1991 the Broad Town White Horse Restoration Society was formed to maintain the horse and it was restored to its former glory.
The best view of the horse is from the B4041 between Broad Hinton and Broad Town.
Grid reference: Su 098 783.

Devizes/Snobs Horse
Cut into the side of Roundway Hill, just below Oliver's Castle the Snobs, or Devizes horse is no longer visible,although local people say that in hot dry summers a different tone in the grass shows the shape of a horse.

The horse was cut at Whitsuntide in 1845 by the shoemakers of Devizes, or Snobs as they were known.

The figure soon fell in to a state of neglect and by the 19th Century the turf had almost completely covered it. Several attempts were made to re-cut the horse, but all failed and in 1998 the last attempt was thwarted by the site being declared a site of special scientific interest (SSSI).

A local farmer offered his land on Roundway Hill about a mile away and work started on a Millennium White Horse in August 1999. Follow this link to find out more.
Grid reference: SU 000 646

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Pewsey White Horse
Almost all traces of the first horse have now disappeared, but it is believed that the horse carried a rider. Thought to have been cut by a local farmer, Robert Pile, the horse fell into neglect, and by the 1930s the chalk was no longer visible, but the outline of the head and body could just be made out. Grid reference: SU 171 580.

The second Pewsey horse was designed by George Marples - an authority in hill figures, and was cut by the Pewsey Fire Brigade in 1937 to commemorate the Coronation of George VI.The horse is one of the smallest figures measuring 66ft by 45ft and is best viewed from the Pewsey to Amesbury A345 road.
Grid reference: SU 171 580

Marlborough White Horse
The Marlborough, or Preshute horse lies in the grounds of Marlborough College and is the smallest known horse measuring just 61ft by 47ft.
The best view of the figure is from the main A4 road, between Marlborough and the village of Manton. The horse lies on the shallow slope of Grantham Hill just above the village of Preshuteand was cut in 1804 by a party of boys from Mr. Greasley's academy. William Canning, a student at Mr Greasley's is said to have designed the horse, although there seems to be no real motive behind the making.
Grid reference: SU 184 682

Devizes Millenium Horse
Several attempts had been made to re cut the original Snobs horse, namely in 1909, 1939, 1954, 1977, 1979,1987 and 1998. The latter attempt was thwarted when the site was declared a Site of Special Scientific Interest.
In 1999 a local farmer, Chris Combe offered his land on Roundway hill, a mile from the original site and permission was granted by the Crown who own the land.
Peter Greed a sixth form student at Devizes Grammar School in 1954 designed a horse for the unsuccessful re-cutting of the Snobs horse that year. It was this design that was chosen for the Millennium figure, although the direction in which the horse faces has been reversed.
A committee was set up to oversee the project, and the public invited to become members of the 'Cavaliers of the Devizes Millennium White Horse' - the group formed to support the project and its future maintenance.

The Millennium horse is best viewed from the A361 Swindon road, a mile north of Devizes.
OS Grid Reference: SU 016 641

 

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