Marlborough White Horse facts for kids
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The Marlborough White Horse is a giant horse shape carved into a hillside. It's also known as the Preshute White Horse. You can find it on Granham Hill, near the town of Marlborough in Wiltshire, England. This amazing hill figure was made in 1804. It's one of many white horses carved into hills across Great Britain. Wiltshire alone has nine of them!
Even though some trees block the view, you can still spot the horse from parts of Marlborough town. A great place to see it is from a walking path near Preshute House. The horse is quite close to Marlborough College, just south of its sports ground.
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History of the Marlborough White Horse
The Marlborough White Horse is the smallest hill figure of its kind in Wiltshire. It was created in 1804 by a group of boys. These boys attended Mr. Greasley's Academy, also known as the High Street Academy. This school was located in Marlborough High Street.
How the Horse Was Made
A boy named William Canning designed the horse. His family owned the Manor House at Ogbourne St George. He marked out the shape on the hill. After it was cut, the horse was "scoured" every year. This means it was cleaned and refreshed. This cleaning became a fun tradition for the school.
Mr. Greasley, the school's founder, passed away around 1830. His school then closed down. For some years, the white horse was not looked after. But by 1860, it was in good shape again. You can even see it in a photo from that year. In 1873, an old student named Captain Reed helped clean it again. He had been one of the boys who first created the horse.
Size and Upkeep
The Marlborough White Horse is 62 feet (about 19 meters) long. It stands 47 feet (about 14 meters) high. It has become a bit thinner since the early 1900s. In September 2001, the horse was restored. Workers used pure chalk mixed with water. They applied it with a stiff brush. However, by late 2002, grass was already growing on parts of it.
The Horse in School Songs
The Marlborough College school song even mentions the horse. One verse talks about old students returning. They hope to see the River Kennet still flowing. And they wish to see "the old White Horse still pads up there on Granham Hill." This shows how important the horse is to the local area.
Another Hill Figure in Marlborough
For a short time in 1969, another figure appeared on a nearby hill. It was the Scout logo. This was made to celebrate the Marlborough Scout Group's 60th anniversary. But the Scouts did not have permission for it to be permanent. So, the landowners later planted plants over it.
Inspiration for the White Horse
The Marlborough White Horse might have been inspired by other similar figures. The nearby Cherhill White Horse was probably an inspiration. The Cherhill horse itself was likely copied from the Westbury White Horse. The Westbury horse was updated in the 1770s.
Ancient White Horses
It's not clear how old the Westbury horse truly is. But the Uffington White Horse is very old. It is now in Oxfordshire. Experts have shown that the Uffington horse dates back to the Bronze Age. This means it is thousands of years old! The Westbury horse was first mentioned in a paper from 1742.
