Alton Barnes
White Horse
Alton Barnes, Wiltshire
|
Featured Location Guide |
|
The horse looks out SSE over Pewsey Vale towards the new
Pewsey Horse, and can be seen for many miles. Good views are from Alton Barnes,
and from the road from Alton Barnes to Lockeridge. It has been well
maintained over the years. Milk Hill, where this white horse is located and nearby Tan
Hill are the joint highest points in Wiltshire at 294 metres. There was at one
time a white horse on Tan Hill, but this no longer survives.
Created for Robert Pile, of Manor Farm, Alton Barnes.
Possibly the same who created the first Pewsey Horse, or possibly his son.
Robert Pile paid twenty pounds to a John Thorne, (Jack the Painter), in 1812 to
design the white horse and get it made. Thorne designed the horse based on the
earlier one at Cherhill, then commissioned John Harvey of Stanton St Bernard to
do the rest. Before Harvey had finished Thorne took off with the money, and
Robert Pile ended up paying a second time. Thorne eventually was hanged, however
we haven't been able to work out what for.
The horse has changed over the years, the neck becoming
thinner, the eye becoming enlarged and the addition of ears and lips and the
improvements of the shape of the legs.
Since 2001 on a number of occasions the horse has been
lit by candlelight, using candles in glass jars. There are suggestions that this
is to become an annual event. Taking place on the night of the winter solstice,
21st December. This has been organised by the Wiltshire Crop Circle Study
Group, who currently maintain the white horse.
Alton Barnes and its surrounding villages, Alton Priors and
Honey Street are the centre of crop circle activity since 1990 as Alton Barnes
is home of the famous East Field – hallowed ground to all crop circle
enthusiasts. East Field is the birthplace of the pictogram and complex circle
designs over a decade ago. I have heard that thousands of people can visit this,
are looking at or for crop circles and the white horse is a favourite site
giving a good high view over fields and a place that many of the crop circle
pictures have been taken from. Also a renowned place to spot passing UFOs.
Adams grave, a long borrow is very near the white horse.
I have also read and seen a photo, but not seen in the nearby
village of Alton Priors, a sarsen stone by the roadside which has a
miniature replica of the Alton Barnes white horse carved on it.
click here to see the stone.
Click on small image to see a larger version
Terry Waldron
The White Horse was lit up on 30 June
2012 to celebrate it being 200 years old, done in conjunction with London 2012
and Salisbury International Arts Festival 2012. |
|
.
Planning Grid
|
Location: |
Alton Barnes White Horse, Alton Barnes, Wiltshire |
|
Grid Reference: |
SU106637 |
|
Getting there: |
Just under a mile north of
Alton Barnes, on a moderate slope on Milk Hill, on the ridge that extends to
Walker's Hill, to the east of the Alton Barnes to Lockeridge road. |
|
Access: |
The horse can be reached by
footpaths from the Lockeridge road. |
|
Parking: |
Country roads few restrictions but tend to be
narrow. |
|
Facilities: |
None |
|
Things To Do,
See and Photograph: |
White horse, canal, long barrow, views,
possibly corn circles at the right time of year. |
|
What to take: |
|
|
Nature highlights: |
Country location, quite a lot of wildlife
about. |
|
Address: |
|
|
Postcode: |
|
|
Telephone: |
|
|
Opening times: |
Open at all times |
|
Charges: |
None |
|
Photo Restrictions: |
None |
|
Other Restrictions: |
None |
|
Special Needs Access: |
Difficult on hillside but can be viewed from
car |
|
Special Needs Facilities: |
None |
|
Children Facilities: |
Ideal for children |
|
Dogs Allowed: |
No restrictions unless wildlife present, then
keep on a lead |
|
|
Please let us know any other information that we
can add to the Further information and Planning Grids or page and any errors that you discover. Before making a long trip to any location it is always
wise to double check the current information, websites like magazines may be
correct at the time the information is written, but things change and it is of
course impossible to double check all entries on a regular basis. If you have
any good photographs that you feel would improve the illustration of this page
then please let us have copies. In referring to this page it is helpful if you
quote both the Page Ref and Topic or Section references from the Grid below. To print the
planning grid select it then right click and print the selected area.
Please submit information on locations you discover so
that this system continues to grow.
|
