The Wiltshire White Horses are an interesting artistic element of Britain’s history. In fact, 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). Marlborough or Preschute white horse is one of the former and located within Wiltshire.
This horse was created at the turn of the 19th century by the students of a local boys’ school.
Marlborough Basics
Use the latitude & longitude coordinates to find it on Google earth yourself.
Where – This horse can be found on Graham Hill above the village of Preschute and just southwest of Marlborough.
Size – 58 feet wide by 71 feet high.
Year Created – 1804
Latitude & Longitude – 51.244585N 1.441530W
The Story
This white horse was the brainchild of a man called Greasley who ran a boys academy and was designed & cut by students attending his school. A student by the name of William Canning came up with the design & marked it out on the hill, and his classmates cut & chalked it. During the early 19th century the horse was lovingly maintained by the school & scoured every year.
Unfortunately Greasley passed away in 1830 and upon his death the school was closed & the horse fell into disrepair for a time.
This horse has changed quite a lot in its lifetime from a more robust animal to a slimmer more stylized version.
Over the years the horse has varied from being lovingly groomed to being neglected and from what I can tell right now it could use a little TLC. Especially due to the fact it is on a shallow hill and difficult to see under even optimal conditions.
More Information
Here are a couple of sources for information about the Cherhill White Horse.
Marlborough White Horse
Wiltshire White Horses – Marlborough
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.