Westbury’s White Horse gets much-needed clean

Work has begun this week to restore the Westbury White Horse from its grey colour, back to gleaming white. English Heritage is carrying out a full deep clean and repaint to restore the 180ft tall iconic landmark back to glory.

The entire process to keep the horse looking clean and bright, which started this week on Monday, 3rd July, is expected to take eight weeks. English Heritage is also seeking volunteers to help explain the conservation cleaning process and the history of the White Horse while the cleaning is taking place.

Westbury’s famous landmark has become more and more grey over the past years, drawing criticism from local people. An English Heritage spokesperson said that the work could not be completed last year due to the extreme drought and weather conditions, but a conservation team will now abseil down the near vertical face of the horse in order to clean, repair and paint it.

Specialist jet-washing

English Heritage has engaged Somerset-based experts, Sally Strachey Historic Conservation, to complete the works. This will firstly involve ThermaTech cleaning, a special type of jet-washing, to remove algae from the horse’s surface. The joints between the many separate pieces that make up the horse will then be repaired through packing and resin-filling, before finally applying multiple coats of fresh paint.

Local MP Dr Andrew Murrison has welcomed the news. “I’m so pleased to hear that our cherished White Horse will be restored and delighted English Heritage will be using local volunteers to assist,” he said. “I’m looking forward to visiting to see the work as it gets under way.”

Iconic landmark

Wiltshire and Westbury town councillor Matthew Dean said, “It’s great to hear that English Heritage is being proactive now and that they are now ready to sort out what is such an iconic landmark in the local area. It’s a shame it’s taken so long, but hopefully this clean will last for a long time.”

Win Scutt, senior properties curator at English Heritage, added, “From a conservation perspective, the ongoing care required by the Westbury White Horse is extremely complex. Its position on a steep slope means that we can’t prevent the water run-off from the surrounding grasslands, and it’s this which creates algae build up and makes it unavoidable that the surface turns grey – even with regular cleaning.

“This also means that it is a very costly undertaking. The Westbury White Horse is cared for by our charity and free to enter for the public. We hope to draw on public support in future years to continue our programme of regular cleaning and repainting and ensure this much-loved local landmark remains an icon for generations to come.”

Volunteers and donations needed

A team of volunteers from English Heritage will be on site during the eight-week period to help explain the conservation cleaning process, history of the White Horse and share the area’s unique history with our visitors.

Members of the public who would like to become part of this team can find out more about volunteering by visiting www.english-heritage.org.uk/support-us/Volunteer/westbury-white-horse-conservation-in–action-volunteer/

An English Heritage spokesperson added, “We are looking for volunteers to be onsite while cleaning activity is taking place. Volunteering sessions will be available 11am to 1pm and 1pm to 3pm Monday to Friday.

“Ideally, we are looking for you to volunteer one session per week. There may also be opportunity to volunteer during weekends which the volunteer manager will discuss with you.”