Cherhill White Horse

The White Horse was carved in 1780 by Dr Christopher Alsop. It obviously took great ingenuity to carry out this task.  It is said that he took up a position 100yds south of Main Road opposite the lower farm and gave instructions to the workers by shouting through a large trumpet.  These two points are at least 1 1/4 miles apart so it is unlikely that voice communications were used, it is more likely that flags were used.  He could have used his trumpet from a point about 1/2 mile west of the horse from where it can be seen almost perfectly. More information here

Volunteers to help maintain the Horse are always welcome.
Call Rob Pickford on 01249-822884 or 0791 704 8680 or send a message 

Cherhill White Horse Restoration Group’s poem:

“We could have paved it with cement, and made it incandescent
But we did it properly, the way it was meant to be.
In winter chalk is grey, when the sun’s shone chalk is bright;
A top dressing now and then will see the horse more white.
Please come and help us do, or give a pound, thank you.”

This anonymous poem appeared pinned next to ours, in response, in Spring 2015:

 “Thanks for your explanation, about the colour of the chalk,
-you’ve allayed the consternation, I’ve been feeling on my walk.
But it’s not the colour that’s confusing, I’ll tell you honestly:
it’s the shape I find amusing, because a horse I cannot see!

What model there could have been, for the head I cannot guess,
the closest thing I’ve seen, is the monster from Loch Ness.
Its jaw is much too pointed the ears more like horns
its huge eye looks quite disjointed in the pin-size head it adorns.

The body seems peculiar, a strangely stretched out square,
and I’m looking for a stomach, but can’t find one anywhere!
All four legs are there I’ll grant you, but none of them look right:
too fat, too thin, to list just two; and not one a constant height.

The horse of Cherhill’s a landmark, a genuine tourist charmer;
but truth be known, chalk light or dark, it looks more like a mutant llama!”