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it looks as large as stonehenge, is only a few miles from it and rather crude looking.

2006-10-05 10:53:32 · 2 answers · asked by mikey1188 1 in Science & Mathematics Geography

2 answers

Westbury White Horse

One of seven horses cut into the chalk downlands of Wiltshire, the exact date on which this horse was first scoured is not known. It is certainly the oldest white horse in Wiltshire, its original form having looked very different - if early sketches are to be believed.

One theory is that it relates to the Battle of Ethandun in 878 AD which took place in the vicinity. Another source considers it to be of Iron Age date, the appearance of the original carving bearing a resemblance to horses found on Iron Age coins.

The original horse was destroyed for several years before being re-cut in 1778. Further renovations have taken place since then, including the addition of drainage gratings and concrete re-enforcements.

2006-10-05 10:59:29 · answer #1 · answered by roshpi 3 · 1 0

There's one in Berkshire that sounds like the one you mention. I've seen it both from the ground and from an aircraft in a holding pattern waiting to land at Heathrow. There are several similar figures around Britain. The hills in these places consist of chalk with a thin layer of topsoil. If you take a shovel and scrape away the the topsoil, the white chalk stays exposed and nothing grows on it. Possibly some of these figures were drawn in prehistoric times. If you leave them alone, they last indefinitely.

2006-10-07 00:28:42 · answer #2 · answered by zee_prime 6 · 0 0

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