The Wiltshire White Horses are one of my favorite bits of historic Britain. And it’s not just me, they are such a unique element that other cultures have created their own white horses.
There is a long list of white chalk horses, some of which are located in Wiltshire & collectively known as the Wiltshire horses, while others are located in different areas of Britain (& a few outside the country altogether). Pewsey white horse is one of the former and located within Wiltshire.
There is an old & a new Pewsey Horse, the old one dating back to 1789. The new one was created very near the site of the old.
Pewsey Basics
Use the latitude & longitude coordinates to find it on Google earth yourself.
Where – This horse can be found on Pewsey Hill about a mile south of Pewsey Village.
Size – 66 feet wide by 45 feet high.
Year Created – 1937
Latitude & Longitude – 51.191653N 1.452383W
The Story
The old Pewsey horse was cut in 1785 by Robert Pile (a man by the same name cut Alton Barnes 30 years later). This horse was scoured once a few years later then left to disrepair as the owner of the land didn’t like the festivities associated with it.
The new Pewsey white horse was cut very close to the old one in 1937 when George Maples came to the area. George was an authority on hill carvings and was there researching the outlines of the original animal. Coincidentally, around the same time a local committee had formed & been charged with finding a way of commemorating George VI’s coronation.
George came up with three drawings for the committee to choose from & the Pewsey Fire Brigade donated the manpower to do the cutting & chalking.
This horse faces left and is one of the more anatomically correct white horses.
This horse has known sufficient upkeep over the years, although the date Marples added to all of his designs has faded away.
More Information
Here are a couple of sources for information about the Cherhill White Horse.
Pewsey White Horse
Wiltshire White Horses – Old Pewsey
Wiltshire White Horses – New Pewsey
More Huge White Horses
There are plenty more where that came from, this is just the second in a long list of huge horses on this planet of ours. Be sure to check out the list of white horses and stay tuned for more to come.