Westbury White Horse

Paragliding above Westbury White Horse (August 2007)
An autumnal view of Westbury White Horse on the edge of Bratton Castle (October 2008)
Seen from White Horse Viewing Area
Viewed from near the edge of Bratton Downs before the surface treatment of 2007
The horse in 2012 less than 4 years after restoration
Westbury White Horse in 1772 (Top) and as re-cut in 1778 (Bottom) as illustrated by Plenderleath.

Westbury White Horse or Bratton White Horse is a hill figure on the escarpment of Salisbury Plain, approximately 1.5 mi (2.4 km) east of Westbury in Wiltshire, England. Located on the edge of Bratton Downs and lying just below an Iron Age hill fort, it is the oldest of several white horses carved in Wiltshire.[1] It was restored in 1778, an action which may have obliterated another horse that had occupied the same slope. A contemporary engraving from around 1772 appears to show a horse facing in the opposite direction that was rather smaller than the present figure. There is, however, no documentation or other evidence for the existence of a chalk horse at Westbury before 1772.

The horse is 180 ft (55 m) tall and 170 ft (52 m) wide and has been adopted as a symbol for the town of Westbury, appearing on welcome signs and the logo of its tourist information centre. It is also considered a symbol for Wiltshire as a whole.

  1. ^ "Wiltshire White Horses: The Westbury or Bratton white horse". www.wiltshirewhitehorses.org.uk.