Westbury White Horse
Template:Short description Template:Use dmy dates Template:Infobox ancient site The Westbury White Horse or Bratton White Horse is a hill figure on the escarpment of Salisbury Plain, approximately Template:Convert east of Westbury in Wiltshire, England. Standing at the northern edge of Bratton Downs, on a steeply sloping hillside below an Iron Age hill fort, it is the oldest of eight white horses in Wiltshire, dating from the late 17th or early 18th century. It was restored about 1778, which may have obliterated another white horse figure on the same slope. A small 18th-century engraving shows a horse facing in the opposite direction. There is, however, no documentation or other evidence for the existence of a chalk horse at Westbury before 1742, and it was reported then to have been created within living memory.
The horse is Template:Convert tall and Template:Convert wide and has been adopted as a symbol for the town of Westbury, appearing on welcome signs. It is also considered a symbol for Wiltshire as a whole.
Origins
Although it is the oldest of the Wiltshire white horses,<ref name="WWHW">Template:Cite web</ref> the origin of the Westbury White Horse is obscure.<ref name="WWHW" /> It is often claimed to commemorate King Alfred's victory at the Battle of Ethandun in 878, but there is no trace of such a legend before the 19th century. Since the late 19th century, historians have mostly located the battle at Edington in Wiltshire, some 2 mi (3.2 km) away from the white horse, but this theory is still open to debate. In Alfred and the Great White Horse of Wiltshire (1939), the Downside Abbey monk Dom Illtyd Trethowan debunked the suggested connection of the Westbury White Horse with Alfred and the Battle of Ethandune.<ref>Illtyd Trethowan, 'Alfred and the Great White Horse of Wiltshire', in Downside Review vol. LVII (1939)</ref>
Another hillside chalk figure, the Uffington White Horse, featured in King Alfred's early life. He was born in the Vale of White Horse, not far from Uffington in Oxfordshire. Unlike the recorded history of Westbury, documents as early as the eleventh century refer to the "White Horse Hill" at Uffington ("mons albi equi"), and archaeological work has dated the Uffington White Horse to the Bronze Age, although it is not certain that it was originally intended to represent a horse.<ref>Uffington White Horse, Atlas Obscura, accessed 30 August 2025, archived 29 June 2017</ref> A white horse war standard was associated with the continental Saxons in the Dark Ages. In his 17th-century work Monumenta Britannica, John Aubrey connected the Uffington horse with Hengist and Horsa, stating that "the White Horse was their Standard at the Conquest of Britain". Aubrey, a Wiltshireman who studied the county's antiquities, mentions no chalk figures in Wiltshire.<ref>John Fowles, ed., John Aubrey, Monumenta Britannica: Or, A Miscellany of British Antiquities, Volume 2 (Dorset Publishing Company, 1980), p. 820</ref>
The earliest mention of any white horse figure at Westbury is in a work by Francis Wise published at Oxford in 1742. He suggested a link with Alfred the Great for the Uffington horse, but not for the one at Westbury, having visited the town and been told that the horse there was "wrought within the memory of persons now living or but very lately dead".<ref>Francis Wise, Further Observations on the White Horse and other Antiquities in Berkshire (Oxford: Thomas Wood, 1742), pp. 47–48</ref><ref>W. Lindsay Scott, "The Chiltern White Crosses", Antiquity Vol. 11, Issue 41 (January 2015), pp. 100–102</ref> This suggests at the earliest a late-seventeenth-century origin for the figure.<ref>Andrew Duxfield, The Unnatural Tragedy: Margaret Cavendish (University of Liverpool), p. 21</ref>
According to local tradition, the current white horse, facing to the left, was cut in 1778 by a Mr Gee, who overlaid a smaller, older chalk figure, believed also to have represented a horse. In a late edition of William Camden's Britannia, a small engraving shows a horse-like animal with a saddle and very short legs facing to the right.<ref>William Plenderleath, White Horses of the West of England (1885, 2nd edition 1892)</ref> However, a very large map of Wiltshire by Andrews and Dury published in 1773 shows a horse much the same as the present one, facing to the left, and with long legs.<ref>Elizabeth Crittall, ed., Andrews' and Dury's map of Wiltshire, 1773: a reduced facsimile (Wiltshire Record Society, 1952)</ref>
During the 18th century, the White Horse of Hanover was a heraldic symbol associated with the new British royal family, the House of Hanover. Noting this, in 1904 Arthur Charles Fox-Davies claimed that "Everyone in this country is familiar with the expression "the white horse of Hanover".<ref>Arthur Charles Fox-Davies, The Art of Heraldry: An Encyclopaedia of Armory (London: T.C. & E.C. Jack, 1904), p. 141: "Gules, a horse argent... was the most prominent charge upon the inescutcheon or quartering of Hanover formerly borne with the Royal Arms. Everyone in this country is familiar with the expression "the white horse of Hanover".</ref> It is argued by some commentators that the Westbury White Horse may have been created in the early 18th century as a symbol of loyalty to the new Protestant reigning house.<ref>"A short history of the Westbury White Horse", westburyheritagesociety.org.uk, undated, accessed 30 August 2025</ref>
A fox hunting report in a London newspaper of October 1801 mentions the "Westbury White Horse" by that name.<ref>"HUNTING", London Courier and Evening Gazette, Tuesday 27 October 1801, p. 3: "...taking circuit about ten miles on the down to the right, to the left, to Westbury White Horse; from thence ran down the hill, over the bottom, to the back of Westbury."</ref>
Modern history
During the 19th century the horse was periodically reshaped and repaired.<ref name="Westbury White Horse">Template:Cite web</ref>
A claim that the horse commemorated the Battle of Ethandune was made in a booklet produced by a local printer, William Michael, in 1864.<ref>William Michael, ed., "Historical Associations of the Westbury White Horse, with an Engraving" (Westbury: William Michael, 1871); said in a footnote on page 1 to be reprinted from Michael's Household Almanack for 1864</ref>
By 1872, the horse was considered to have lost its shape, by the chalk repeatedly growing over and being re-cut. In 1873, it was remodelled by a committee, and at the same time substantial edging-stones were added all around the perimeter, to prevent the shape from changing again.<ref name=www>The Westbury or Bratton white horse at wiltshirewhitehorses.org.uk, accessed 10 October 2016</ref>
In 1928, the horse was used as inspiration for the design of the Litlington White Horse in East Sussex, which until 1983, when it was changed from a standing position to a prancing position, was visually similar to the Westbury horse.<ref>Template:Cite journal Template:Open access</ref>
During the Second World War, the chalk of the horse was turfed over to prevent German pilots from using it for navigation.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Nearby Westbury railway station was considered to be a potential target.
The horse was illuminated at night in 1900 and again in 1950, both times using British army equipment. For the 1950 event, which used searchlights, traffic in Westbury and Bratton almost came to a standstill as drivers slowed down to look.<ref name="wiltshirewhitehorses.org.uk">Wiltshire White Horses: lighting up the horses at wiltshirewhitehorses.org.uk, accessed 10 October 2016</ref>
In 1957 the horse was concreted over and painted white by Westbury Urban District Council, in an attempt to save on long-term maintenance costs, as the chalk of the face was eroding and unstable, due to the steepness of the slope.<ref name="Westbury White Horse"/> Since then, the concrete has tended to turn grey and deteriorate over time, requiring regular cleaning, as well as periodic repairs and repainting. The horse was thoroughly cleaned in 1993<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and in 1995, the concrete facing from 1957 was replaced and repainted.<ref name="Westbury White Horse" />
In 2003, the horse was vandalised when "Stop This War" was written in yellow across it in capital letters in protest of the Iraq War. After the words were removed, the horse was noticeably grey with a white horizontal strip where the message had been. In November 2006, the horse was repaired and repainted again. The newly whitened horse was illuminated on the night the repairs were finished, by Second World War searchlights, as in 1950.Template:Citation needed
In July 2010, the neck of the horse was vandalised when the word "wonkey" was written across it.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> This part of the neck had to be re-whitened in 2010, leading to the horse having a whiter neck than the rest of the body.
The BBC reported that the horse was to be cleaned again in 2012.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Work began on 11 April 2012 and was completed on 19 April 2012. The cleaning coincided with the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II.<ref name="bbc.co.uk">Template:Cite news</ref> Celebrating the completion of the work, again the horse was lit up with searchlights.<ref name="bbc.co.uk" />
Two visitor information signs, on the hill above the horse and in the viewing area car park, were placed in 1999 following the completion of Devizes White Horse; the signs show all eight Wiltshire White Horses. Also on the side of the hill is a toposcope dated 1968, mounted on a small stone structure, which identifies the towns and cities that can be seen from the hillside.<ref>Template:Citation</ref> For the Golden Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II, a fire beacon was placed to the side of the road on the top of the hill leading to the car park on 3 June 2002,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> that resembles the millennium beacons.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> It is lit to mark occasions such as the 70th anniversary of VE Day on 8 May 2015.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
BBC News had a video in June 2018 showing the horse being cleaned with high pressure water jets by up to 18 volunteer abseilers.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The cost was given as £3,000, paid for by Westbury Town Council. It stated that the previous clean was in 2016. In July 2023 the horse was cleaned, repainted and repaired again, with water used to clean off algae and dirt in a project funded by English Heritage.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="auto">Template:Cite web</ref> The cost was not made public, but the paint alone cost £25,000.<ref name="auto"/>
Views
The Horse can be viewed from the west from up to Template:Convert away. From the Bratton Downs above the horse, Westbury and Trowbridge can be seen. The Mendip TV Mast on the Mendip Hills in Somerset can be seen clearly to the west, particularly at night. Two of the furthest views of the horse are said to be from Beckford's Tower in Bath and from the tower of St Michael's Church, Dundry near Bristol.Template:Citation needed
A car park on Bratton Road (B3098) which passes beneath the horse is known as Westbury White Horse Viewing Area.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> It has fifteen parking spaces and information boards on the horse.
For some 55 years, a Template:Convert cement works chimney stood on lower ground about half a mile from the white horse and was the most prominent feature of the view from above it.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Built in 1961 the factory and its chimney were last in use in 2010 and were demolished in 2016, to mixed views.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
A Battle of Ethandun Memorial, consisting of a large sarsen stone and a metal commemorative plaque was unveiled on 5 November 2000 by Alexander Thynn, 7th Marquess of Bath.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
In popular culture
The White Horse was referenced in G. K. Chesterton's epic poem The Ballad of the White Horse (1911) and also in The Tontine (1955) by Thomas B. Costain, The Emigrants (1980) by George Lamming, and The English Patient (1992) by Michael Ondaatje, as the place where the sapper Kip learned how to deactivate bombs. Michael Morpurgo mentioned it as one of the inspirations for The Butterfly Lion.<ref>"The Butterfly Lion", thebooktrail.com, accessed 30 August 2025</ref>
In 1939, the horse was depicted by the artist Eric Ravilious in his watercolour paintings "Train Landscape" and "The Westbury Horse".<ref>Helen Binyon, Eric Ravilious: Memoir of an Artist (Lutterworth Press, 2016), p. 109</ref>
The figure can be seen in the music video for Scottish guitarist Midge Ure's 1996 single "Breathe", as well as in the music video to the instrumental piece "The Journey" by the hammered dulcimer band Dulci Girls, and is featured in the current opening titles of the regional television news programme ITV News West Country. It was also seen in a 2015 Visit England advertisement produced in association with the England rugby team.
The horse lends its name to the White Horse Business Park outside Trowbridge and the White Horse Country Park outside Westbury, from both of which there are views of it. <ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
In folklore
A mile to the north-east of the white horse is the valley of Luccombe, which has a locally famed "Blood Stone", said to be connected with the massacre of Danish prisoners after a battle.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Wiltshire folklore has it that when the nearby Bratton church clock strikes midnight, the white horse goes down to the Bridewell or Briddle Springs<ref group="note">Bridewell is pronounced locally as if it is spelt "Briddle", and as such, the springs are also known as the Briddle Springs.</ref> below the hill, to drink.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Gallery
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Paragliding above Westbury White Horse (August 2007)
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An autumnal view of Westbury White Horse on the edge of Bratton Castle (October 2008)
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Viewed from near the edge of Bratton Downs before the surface treatment of 2007
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The horse in 2012, less than four years after restoration
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Westbury White Horse in 1772 (top) and as re-cut in 1778 (bottom), as illustrated by Plenderleath
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Flag of the Electorate of Hanover, which may have inspired the creation of the horse soon after the Hanoverian dynasty came to the British throne
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The Battle of Ethandun Memorial
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See also
- List of hill figures in Wiltshire
- Cherhill White Horse
- Marlborough White Horse
- Litlington White Horse
References
Works cited
- Reverend Francis Wise, Further Observations on the White Horse and other Antiquities in Berkshire (1742)
- William Plenderleath, White Horses of the West of England (1885, 2nd edition 1892)
- Morris Marples, White Horses and Other Hill Figures (1949)
- Westbury White Horse at Wiltshire White Horses
- The White (ish) Horse at ThisisWestbury.co.uk, Westbury's history website
- Wiltshire Web information Template:Webarchive
Notes
Bibliography
- Plenderleath, Rev. W. C., The White Horses of the West of England (London: Allen & Storr, 1892)
- Clensy, David, Walking the White Horses: Wiltshire's White Horse Trail on Foot (2023)