RESIDENTS have raised concerns that the town’s iconic White Horse is losing its bright white colour and is reverting to a grey mare once again.
English Heritage treated the horse to a facelift back in 2006 but since then the state of the horse has deteriorated.
A concerned resident said, “It’s only been five years since they did it, and it was less than four years ago that it started to deteriorate.
“The White Horse has never been white since they did away with the chalk face. The White Horse is synonymous with the area, so we’re a bit disappointed that what effort went into putting the horse right has not paid off. It really needs to be redone.”
Town and Wiltshire councillor David Jenkins said, “It’s an embarrassment. I went out to Bratton and looked up and thought it looks ill. It’s a shame because it could look very nice and be something to be proud of.”
Westbury Town Council approached English Heritage earlier this year, asking if the horse could be cleaned, in particular to get the horse looking groomed ready for the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee celebrations next year. However they were told that, as the horse had been cleaned in recent years, it would be hard to justify the expenditure.
Work had to be carried out on the horse last year to remove graffiti.
Westbury Mayor cllr David Windess said, “I agree, it does need doing – it looks more like a zebra than a horse! We do care about the White Horse, but the financial cost is astronomical. It’s not just a matter of brushing it down and painting it, there’s the health and safety and specialised paint.”
The original White Horse, the oldest in Wiltshire, was carved into the chalk hillside in 1778 but replaced an earlier horse, possibly created to commemorate King Alfred’s nearby victory over the Vikings. The horse’s original chalk surface had to be scoured regularly to keep it white, but in the late 1950s the horse was covered in white-painted concrete.
Work on surrounding areas
While the horse itself may be in need of some TLC, some of the areas around the horse are benefiting from improvements.
Concerned residents in Westbury pointed out to the area board recently that the road up to the White Horse was becoming narrower due to undergrowth and built up mud at the sides of the steep road.
The road is used not only by visitors but by joggers, walkers and horse riders, so the width of the road was deemed even more important to maximise its use.
Wiltshire Council highways team brought out the “unimog”, a multi function auto four-wheel drive truck that does everything from filling in potholes to cutting back verges.
The Swiss army knife-style vehicle took to the hill out of Newtown and sliced back the road edges and the undergrowth.
“We were delighted to get a quick response and a good result – it’s an example of the area board doing its best to solve the issues that local people raise with us,” said area board chairman Julie Swabey.
Cutting back a Wiltshire road is tame stuff for the unimog – due to their off-road capabilities, unimogs can be found in jungles, mountains and deserts as military vehicles, fire fighters, expedition campers, and even in competitions like truck trials. They can also be used as snowploughs.
“It’s an amazing bit of kit and its versatility makes it invaluable for the work we do across the Wiltshire roads,” said a council spokesman.
Viewing area
Following concerns over the state of the viewing area along Bratton Road being raised to the area board, contractors have now been instructed to replace fencing and cut back the area. There are also plans to look at the surfacing of the area and quotes are being obtained for updating the signs in the area.
