Westbury’s ‘White’ Horse to be cleaned and repainted ‘this summer’

ENGLISH Heritage, the body responsible for cleaning Westbury’s White Horse, has confirmed that they will be cleaning and repainting the iconic landmark this summer. 

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 they will be back this summer to complete a full clean. 

They added that a smaller scale clean, to remove graffiti on the horse’s head last autumn, has already been completed. 

The figure was previously restored in 2006 and then six years later, a group of volunteers, led by Westbury Rotary Club, applied a ThermaTech coating to the horse in time for the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee. The clean-up team included a group of abseilers, who worked on the steep hillside.  

However, the landmark has now turned grey again. Recently, the Lions Club of Westbury discussed the possibility of working with the Rotary Club to take on the future cleaning of the White Horse from English Heritage, in a bid to get the White Horse clean more frequently. Now, however, English Heritage say that the figure will be cleaned this summer. 

A spokesperson for English Heritage said, “Caring for the Westbury White Horse is no small task. Its hillside position means that every few years the horse turns distinctly grey, but the good news is that following extensive trials and analysis we now have plans in place for a cyclical programme of cleaning, infilling and repainting which will keep it looking brighter for longer.  

“We know how well-loved the horse is and had hoped to be able to start work to restore its brightness last summer, but unfortunately had to be postponed at the last moment due to the extreme weather and drought conditions. We understand how frustrating this was for the local community.  

“Since then, we have been able to complete a smaller clean on the horse’s head to remove algae and graffiti and will absolutely be going ahead with the full clean this summer. Once we’ve appointed our expert contractors, we’ll also be able to consider if local volunteers will be able to help with the work.” 

The horse is thought to have originally been carved into the hillside in 878 AD to commemorate King Alfred’s victory over the Danes at the Battle of Ethandune.