Westbury White Horse

The Wiltshire White Horses are some of my favorite elements of history in Britain. It’s not just me who is captured by them, they are so unique 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). Westbury white horse is one of the former and located within Wiltshire.

This is one of the oldest Wiltshire horses and has occupied it’s spot for at least 300 years.

Westbury Basics

Use the latitude & longitude coordinates to find it on Google earth yourself.

Where – This horse can be found on Westbury Hill just north east of Westbury on the edge of Bratton Downs.

Size – 108 feet wide by 182 feet high.

Year Created – Present horse was cut in 1778

Latitude & Longitude – 551.154892N 2.084925W

The Story

There has been a horse on this site for centuries and the first reference to the Westbury white horse was in 1742. However the face of the horse has changed dramatically since it’s mysterious beginnings. No one knows who created the original or what symbology is attached to it.

In 1778 George Gee had the horse re-cut and the shape changed to better represent the equine animal.

Over the years even the more modern horse has changed in shape and saw its first renovation late in the 19th century. The shape of the horse as we know it today was established by this restoration project. Later in the mid 20th century the whole horse was covered in concrete and painted white to limit maintenance.

More Information

Here are a couple of sources for information about the Westbury White Horse.
Westbury White Horse
Wiltshire White Horses – Westbury

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.