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46-460: 51°19′16.5″N 1°45′23.5″W  /  51.321250°N 1.756528°W  / 51.321250; -1.756528 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

92-539: A lost figure. Its existence is suggested by infrared photography . If it is a lost figure, its age is uncertain, and unlikely prehistoric in origin, as only one figure in the UK has been shown to be of this age, the Uffington White Horse . While presumed to be of prehistoric origin, surviving examples may have been created only within the last four hundred years. Of these giants only two survive: one near

138-439: A parasite paste brand for horses, supported the protection of the white horse as part of their 25th anniversary celebrations. Their donation was used to help restore the protective fencing around the horse. 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. The Town Flag of Pewsey, registered with

184-778: A roundabout leading to the High Street which is the A4 road. Originally, the A345 continued north from Marlborough to a junction with the A419 at Commonhead, southeast of Swindon , and then through Swindon to meet the A419 again at Blunsdon . When the M4 motorway was opened, the section from Marlborough to junction 15 of the motorway became a northern extension of the A346 . From the motorway to Commonhead,

230-503: A sediment analysis by the National Trust indicated an origin in the date range of 700 CE to 1100 CE, surprising historians who did not expect it to be medieval. In 2008, overgrowth forced a re-chalking of the giant, with 17 tonnes of new chalk being poured in and tamped down by hand. The Long Man of Wilmington is located on one of the steep slopes of Windover Hill, six miles (9.7 km) northwest of Eastbourne . The figure

276-505: A steep NNW facing slope of Pewsey Hill about 500’ above sea level. Access to the horse is available to visitors. The horse can be seen from along the A345 near Pewsey Village and along the south of the village itself, but the horse is viewed most clearly from the Pewsey to Everleigh road below Pewsey Hill. The figure can be visited from the top of Pewsey Hill where there are footpaths leading to

322-459: A suitable way of commemorating the coronation of George VI . Marples drew up three designs for a horse and, for ease of maintenance, the horse shown trotting to the left was chosen. (The former Pewsey horse also faced the left, as did all other Wiltshire white horses at the time). Each of his designs showed '1937' above the horse to record the year, as the cutting years of several other horses in Wiltshire were, and still are, unknown. Marples suggested

368-447: A triangular method for marking out the horse, and a sketch of this method is known to still exist. In April 1937 it was cut by volunteers from Pewsey Fire Brigade. 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. The nearby Cherhill White Horse

414-408: Is 227 feet (69 m) tall and designed to look in proportion when viewed from below, and is shown holding two staves. The earliest record was made by the surveyor John Rowley in the year 1710. This drawing suggests that the original figure was a shadow or indentation in the grass, rather than the solid outline of a human figure. The staves were not depicted as a rake and scythe as was once thought, and

460-468: Is a nearly-lost hill figure which can be seen with the aid of infrared photography . Now looking more like a small ear of corn or a strange weapon than a human figure, there is a legend suggesting that a giant called Gill was once cut on this same hill and that he was considered an adversary of the Long Man of Wilmington not far away. According to one story, the giant on Firle Beacon threw his hammer at

506-492: 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." The white horse also features on the town flag of Pewsey, whose registration notes describe the horse as "iconic". Barry Leighton of the Swindon Advertiser describes

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552-500: Is common, as well as more abstract symbols and, in the modern era, advertising brands. The reasons for the creation for the figures are varied and obscure. The Uffington Horse probably held political significance, since the figure dominates the valley below. It probably dates to the British Iron Age since coins have been found exhibiting the symbol. The Cerne Abbas Giant might have been a work of political satire likely of

598-415: Is natural vegetation covering the figures. In the case of chalk figures, natural vegetation encroaches from the edges and can grow on soil washed onto the figure by rain. Water erosion can also be a problem on steep or gentle slopes, because rain can wash the chalk off the horse, or soil onto the horse. Larger horses are more susceptible to this. If chalk is washed off the horse, the horse gradually creeps down

644-400: Is unknown if this is the same man. The horse received a scouring in 1789, believed to be the first and last scouring, as the landowner objected to the festivities which had accompanied the scouring and thus refused to allow it to happen again. Thus, it fell into neglect, and by the mid-1800s was in a bad state of repair. By the mid-1930s, the chalk of the horse was no longer visible. Nonetheless,

690-581: The Alton Barnes White Horse on Milk Hill . Pewsey White Horse is visible from Milk Hill, near to Alton Barnes White Horse although not from the exact location of that horse. 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

736-640: The University of Reading suggests that the figure dates from the 16th or 17th century AD. Until the early 17th century large outline images of the two giants, perhaps Gog and Magog (or Goemagot and Corineus ) had for a long time been cut into the turf of Plymouth Hoe exposing the white limestone beneath. An early and explicit reference was made to them by Richard Carew in 1602. At one time these figures were periodically re-cut and cleaned but no trace of them remains today. Firle Corn in Firle , Sussex

782-474: The "Trendle", or "Frying Pan". Medieval writings refer to this location as "Trendle Hill", but make no mention of the giant, leading to the conclusion that it was probably only carved about 400 years ago. In contrast, the Uffington White Horse  – an unquestionably prehistoric hill figure on the Berkshire Downs  – was noticed and recorded by medieval authors. In 2021,

828-455: The 'restoration' process distorted the position of the feet, an assertion backed up by several who had been familiar with the figure before 1874, and also by later resistivity surveys. It has also been suggested that it removed the Long Man's genitalia, though there is no historical or archaeological evidence which supports that claim. A wide range of dates of origin have been proposed for the Long Man, but more recent archaeological work done by

874-460: The Early Modern period. Wiltshire is a county with a large number of White Horses; 14 have been recorded. The figures are usually created by the cutting away of the top layer of relatively poor soil on suitable hillsides. This exposes the white chalk beneath, which contrasts well with the short green hill grass, and the image is clearly visible for a considerable distance. Although most of

920-619: The Flag Institute on 18 September 2014, features an illustration of the Pewsey White Horse in the centre. 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

966-651: The Pewsey White Horse at its centre. A345 road (England) The A345 is a secondary A road in Wiltshire , England running from Salisbury to Marlborough and the A4 . The road is a main south–north link across Salisbury Plain , which is renowned for its rich archaeology, and passes many ancient points of interest along its way. The road begins in Salisbury at the Castle roundabout and travels north out of

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1012-699: The Uffington White Horse appears to retain a prehistoric shape, while the Cerne Abbas Giant may be prehistoric, Romano-British, or Early Modern. Nevertheless, these figures, and their possible lost companions, have been iconic in the English people's conception of their past. In England there are at least fifty landscape figures, the majority of which are in the south. The creation of hill figures has been practised since prehistory and can include human and animal forms. Cutting of horses

1058-468: The Wilmington giant and killed him, and that the figure on the hillside marks the place where his body fell. As a publicity stunt for the opening of The Simpsons Movie on 16 July 2007, a giant Homer Simpson brandishing a doughnut was outlined in water-based biodegradable paint to the left of the Cerne Abbas Giant. This act angered local neopagans , who pledged to perform "rain magic" to wash

1104-460: 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

1150-647: The city, passing close to Old Sarum Castle , taking a predominantly straight line to Boscombe Down and then Amesbury before meeting the A303 at Countess roundabout, where it shares Countess Services with the major road. At this point it passes within 2 miles (3.2 km) of the World Heritage Site at Stonehenge . Continuing north, the road passes near to Woodhenge and the Ministry of Defence Royal School of Artillery base at Larkhill . This part of

1196-565: The figure away. There are 16 known white horse hill figures in the UK, or 17 including the painted one at Cleadon Hills . The horses in Cockington Green, Georgia and Juárez are all based on the style of or direct copies of the Uffington White Horse. The white horses of Wiltshire, of which there are currently nine, have inspired other sculptures in the county. Julive Livsey's sculpture White Horse Pacified (1987) in Shaw, Swindon

1242-419: The figure referring to the horse. The Cerne Abbas Giant , also referred to as the "Rude Man" or the "Rude Giant", is a hill figure of a giant naked man 180 ft (55 m) high, 167 ft (51 m) wide. The figure is carved into the side of a steep hill, and is best viewed from the opposite side of the valley or from the air. The carving is formed by a trench 12 in (30 cm) wide, and about

1288-595: The figures are of great age, many are relatively new. Devizes in Wiltshire created a large white horse for the 2000 Millennium celebrations and in October 2009 celebrated this with an aerial photo of volunteers making the figure 10 for an aerial photo. Figures must be maintained to remain visible, and local people often work regularly to restore or maintain a local landmark, though two cuttings of military badges at Sutton Mandeville , Wiltshire, are becoming lost. A lost map of Australia at Compton Chamberlayne , Wiltshire,

1334-421: The head was a helmet shape. Sir William Borrow's drawing of 1766 shows the figure holding a rake and a scythe, both shorter than the staves. Before 1874, the Long Man's outline was only visible in certain light conditions as a different shade in the hillside grass, or after a light fall of snow. In that year an antiquarian marked out the outline with yellow bricks, later cemented together. It has been claimed that

1380-543: The horse and places where a car may be parked (although not designated parking places). Pewsey Hill is a down (downland, a chalk hill) marking one end of the 19 mile Vale of Pewsey , where others of the white horses are located. Although not itself part of the downs, the vale is part of the North Wessex Downs AONB ( Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty ). The horse looks out across the Vale of Pewsey towards

1426-410: The horse as standing in a "care-free trotting stance." The Gazette and Herald have referred to the horse as "one of Pewsey's proudest monuments." A previous white horse was cut on the same hill, probably in 1785. It was cut by, or on the instructions of, Robert Pile of Manor Farm, Alton Barnes . The nearby Alton Barnes White Horse was cut 27 years later by a Robert Pile of the same address, but it

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1472-414: The outline of the head and body could still vaguely be seen, both as raised contours revealed by both the light of the rising sun and as a discolouration of the grass. As is visible from a sketch of the contours still visible in 1939, the horse may have been of fairly good proportions. 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

1518-586: The road became part of the A419, and the route through Swindon was renumbered A4259 and A4311 . Between Amesbury and Durrington, a 0.8 miles (1.3 km) section of the A345 was realigned further east away from the Woodhenge scheduled monument in 1968, crossing to a further west alignment and incorporating a new roundabout at its junction with the A3028 . The southern terminus was originally further south along Castle Street at Salisbury market square, but with

1564-550: The route can be hazardous as there are often tanks crossing and the road is susceptible to subsidence . The next significant places are Netheravon , and then Upavon where the road briefly separates into a one-way system around the village, running concurrently with the A342 to Devizes . From here the A345 goes to Pewsey , where the Pewsey White Horse is best viewed, and then continues on to Marlborough , ending at

1610-520: The same depth, which has been cut through grass and earth into the underlying chalk . In his right hand the giant holds a knobbled club 120 ft (37 m) in length. Its history cannot be traced back further than the late 17th century, making an origin during the Celtic , Roman or even Early Medieval periods difficult to prove. Above and to the right of the Giant's head is an earthwork known as

1656-578: The slope; or if soil is washed onto the horse, it collects onto the lower edges and the horse gradually climbs up the slope. A solution is to provide drainage, either using run-off drains, as at Uffington White Horse, or a french ditch . Since hill figures must be maintained by the removal of regrown turf, only those that motivate the local populace to look after them survive. Surviving ancient figures all have an associated fair or ceremony that involves maintaining them. Unmaintained figures gradually fade away. Firle Corn at Firle Beacon , Sussex could be

1702-439: The smallest of the eight canonical white horses in Wiltshire. 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 coronation of George VI , and was inspired by other white horses in Wiltshire. The horse

1748-838: The solidity of the village. White horses in Wiltshire: Elsewhere: Hill figure Hill figures cut in grass are a phenomenon especially seen in England , where examples include the Cerne Abbas Giant , the Uffington White Horse , and the Long Man of Wilmington , as well as the "lost" carvings at Cambridge , Oxford and Plymouth Hoe . From the 18th century onwards, many further ones were added. Many figures long thought to be ancient have been found to be relatively recent when subjected to modern archaeological scrutiny, at least in their current form. Only

1794-525: The village of Cerne Abbas , to the north of Dorchester , in Dorset and one at Wilmington, Long Man civil parish in the Wealden District of East Sussex . Examples located at Oxford , Cambridge , and on Plymouth Hoe can no longer be seen with the naked eye. The Osmington White Horse carries a rider ( King George III ) but is not considered an example of gigantotomy due to the name of

1840-644: The whiteish underlying soil, which is not itself dug. Geoglyph is the usual term for structures carved into or otherwise made from rock formations. In 1949, Morris Marples "half-humorously" coined the words "leucippotomy for the cutting of white horses and gigantotomy for the cutting of giants on rare occasions". Though neither word appears in the Oxford English Dictionary , the terms occasionally appear in print. Until recently, three methods were used to construct white hill figures. The biggest threat to white horses and other hill figures

1886-417: Was also floodlit to mark the occasion. 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. The smallest white horse in Wiltshire, Pewsey White Horse is 35 feet tall and 67 feet tall. Pewsey White Horse is cut on private land roughly a mile south of Pewsey Village, on

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1932-446: Was erected in the centre of the village to commemorate the coronation of George VI's predecessor, George V . 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 Alton Barnes White Horse , Cherhill White Horse and Marlborough White Horse . In either late 1999 or early 2000, an information board

1978-552: Was inspired by the white horses. In 2010, Charlotte Moreton created the steel sculpture White Horse for Solstice Park, Amesbury , taking influence from white horses. The Westbury White Horse is depicted on a roundabout and mosaic in the town. An 1872 sketch of the Cherhill White Horse was incorporated into an unofficial flag of Wiltshire . The Town Flag of Pewsey , registered in September 2014, features

2024-662: Was placed above the horse (backed to the fence) giving information on the eight white horses. This was placed after Devizes White Horse had been cut. The edges of the horse are well defined and the chalk is of very small compacted pieces. The horse is maintained and scoured by the Pewsey 6X Club, who work under the name of the Pewsey Horse Restoration Group. The horse is typically re-chalked (or 'scoured') every eight or ten years. One scouring took place in November 1998 and another in spring 2004. The horse

2070-467: Was restored in 2018. Similar pictures exist elsewhere in the world, notably the far larger Nazca Lines in Peru , which are on flat land but visible from hills in the area. However, these were made in desert terrain rather than on grassy hillsides, so have not become overgrown and thus have survived much longer without maintenance. The Nazca Lines were formed by removing loose stones from the lines to expose

2116-419: Was scoured again by a group of almost 15 people in 2017 to commemorate its 80th birthday. The group firstly cleaned the surface off, then removed weeds and moss with sharp hoes and finally placed fresh chalk on the horse which was partially consolidated with hand-held rammers, leaving rainfall to complete the job. The Pewsey Parish Council rewarded the volunteers with glasses of Prosecco . In July 2008, Eqvalan,

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