Pewsey White Horse
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51°19′16.5″N 1°45′23.5″W / 51.321250°N 1.756528°W Pewsey White Horse is a hill figure of a white horse near the village of Pewsey, Wiltshire, England. Cut of chalk in 1937, it replaces an earlier horse that had disappeared under the grass and is one of eight remaining white horses in Wiltshire. It measures 66’ by 45’, making it the smallest of the eight canonical white horses in Wiltshire.[1]
When Pewsey White Horse was cut it was the seventh or eighth White Horse in Wiltshire (the confusion arising as Rockley White Horse was unknown until 1948) and the first of the 20th century. It was also one of the smallest. George Marples designed the white horse to commemorate the
The horse is a prominent landmark in Pewsey, and today it is maintained and scoured by the Pewsey 6X Club, who work under the name Pewsey Horse Restoration Group. Wiltshirewhitehorses.org.uk consider it to be a "well-proportioned representation of the real animal."[2] The white horse also features on the town flag of Pewsey, whose registration notes describe the horse as "iconic".[3] Barry Leighton of the Swindon Advertiser describes the horse as standing in a "care-free trotting stance."[4] The Gazette and Herald have referred to the horse as "one of Pewsey's proudest monuments."[5]
Origins
A previous white horse was cut on the same hill, probably in 1785.
As is visible from a sketch of the contours still visible in 1939, the horse may have been of fairly good proportions.[6] A local legend says that the horse had a boy rider, but there appears to have been no visible rider in the late 1800s when the chalk was still able to be seen. Had it had a rider, it would have been one of two of such horses to do so in England, alongside the 19th century Osmington White Horse near Weymouth, Dorset.
In 1937, George Marples, an authority on hill figures, was in the area researching the horse, which at this time was barely visible, when he was approached by a committee that had just been formed to find a suitable way of commemorating the
In April 1937 it was cut by volunteers from Pewsey Fire Brigade.[2][7] The year '1937' was cut above the horse, although it appears this part was never later scoured and thus is no longer visible. The horse was floodlit in coronation week and the effect was described as "very good" except for thick fog on two nights.[8] The nearby Cherhill White Horse was also floodlit to mark the occasion.[9] Notably, the Pewsey horse was cut 99 years after Hackpen White Horse was cut to commemorate the coronation of Queen Victoria, the only other horse in Wiltshire known to commemorate a coronation.
Description and location
The smallest white horse in Wiltshire, Pewsey White Horse is 35 feet tall and 67 feet tall.
Pewsey Hill is a
Pewsey White Horse is on the outskirts of the village of Pewsey, but nonetheless is considered to be within the village's boundaries. It is the second and so far final piece of public art in the village, following the King Alfred Monument (1913), which was erected in the centre of the village to commemorate the coronation of George VI's predecessor, George V.[11]
Modern history
The horse has gradually become slightly larger over time. The figure is fenced in to prevent damage from grazing animals, making this one of four Wiltshire White Horses to be fenced in, alongside
The horse is maintained and scoured by the Pewsey 6X Club,
In July 2008, Eqvalan, a parasite paste brand for horses, supported the protection of the white horse as part of their 25th anniversary celebrations.[13] Their donation was used to help restore the protective fencing around the horse.[14] In return, Eqvalan were allowed to decorate the horse for a short time as part of their celebrations, adorning the horse with a party hat and placing bunting inside the protective fence.[13]
The Town Flag of Pewsey, registered with the Flag Institute on 18 September 2014, features an illustration of the Pewsey White Horse in the centre.[3] The flag was designed by Eleanor Taylor, with the flag's dark green hills representing Pewsey's rural farming landscape upon which is charged the White Horse, whilst above the horse is the crown to represent King Alfred, who has a statue in the village centre, and who once held land in Pewsey. The oak leaves represent the solidity of the village.[3]
See also
White horses in Wiltshire:
- Alton Barnes White Horse
- Broad Town White Horse
- Cherhill White Horse
- Devizes White Horse
- Hackpen White Horse
- Marlborough White Horse
- Westbury White Horse
Elsewhere:
References
- ^ "Measurements". Wiltshire White Horses. Archived from the original on 30 December 2017. Retrieved 4 May 2017.
- ^ a b c d "The new Pewsey white horse". Wiltshire White Horses. Retrieved 28 March 2015.
- ^ a b c Pewsey, Wiltshire - The Flag Institute
- ^ Leighton, Barry (6 August 2013). "The hills have eyes... and a spear". Swindon Advertiser. Retrieved 8 May 2017.
- ^ a b c d "Pewsey's White Horse given summertime makeover". Gazette and Herald. 11 July 2017. Retrieved 29 December 2017.
- ^ a b "The old Pewsey white horse". Wiltshire White Horses. Retrieved 28 March 2015.
- ^ a b c d "Pewsey White Horse - In conjunction with the Pewsey Horse Restoration Group". Dr Mark Hows. Retrieved 28 March 2015.
- ^ "Lighting up the horses". Wiltshire White Horses. Retrieved 28 March 2015.
- ^ Wiltshire White Horses: Lighting up the horses
- ISBN 0-9544916-1-0.
- ^ King Alfred Monument - Pewsey - Wiltshire - England | British Listed Buildings
- ^ "Pewsey White Horse". Visit Pewsey Vale. Retrieved 4 May 2017.
- ^ a b "Eqvalan supports the Pewsey White Horse". Your Horse, Bauer Media. Archived from the original on 23 January 2015. Retrieved 28 March 2015.
- ^ Johnson, Imogen (21 July 2008). "Eqvalan supports the Pewsey White Horse". Your Horse. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 4 May 2017.