Devizes White Horse

Original Devizes White Horse , the west side of which (pictured) was the location of the original Devizes White Horse In 1845, local shoemakers cut a white horse into the west side of Roundway Hill, directly beneath the hill fort known as "Oliver's Castle". This was a good location for a hill figure, as it overlooked the valley on a steep slope about 600' above sea level, and could be seen from many miles away. It was known locally as the "Snobs Horse", "snobs" being a local word for shoemakers. It was fitting to cut a hill figure of a horse, as by 1845 there were already white horse hill figures visible in Wiltshire at Westbury, Alton Barnes, Hackpen, Cherhill, near Inkpen, Marlborough and possibly at Broad Town, whose horse is of unknown origin but probably dates from the 19th century, and Rockley, whose horse was "discovered" in 1945, having previously lain under grass. Most of them still exist today, the exceptions being those at Inkpen and Rockley. The Devizes horse was neglected and was lost in about 1922, and no dimensions of the horse seem to have ever been recorded. Devizes Millennium White Horse In 1998, a newcomer to Devizes, Sarah Padwick, apparently inspired by the other seven surviving white horses in Wiltshire, sent a letter to a local newspaper suggesting that a white horse should be cut on Roundway Hill to celebrate the millennium. She was unaware of the nearby Snobs Horse. The newspaper liked the idea and plans followed. The original plan was to recut the Snobs Horse in its original location, following the attempted revival in 1998. This proved unsuccessful because the site was declared a Site of Special Scientific Interest. However, a local farmer, Chris Combe, offered his land on Roundway Hill as an alternative site, provided permission was granted by the Crown Estates Commissioners, who own the land. Wiltshire County Council Tourism supported the project, as did Roundway Parish Council, which supported the planning application made to Kennet District Council. the total length of the horse being approximately 230 m. On 20 September, the site was closed so that Pearce Civil Engineering could dig out the body of the horse over several days. They also positioned the rocks used as the horse's eye and nostril. Devizes White Horse was completed on 29 September 1999. ==Scouring and maintenance==

Devizes White Horse has occasionally fallen into disrepair, with weed growth being the main threat to the site. By September 2008, the horse had again become barely visible. In August 2014, a writer for the Wiltshire Times complained about the then-current condition of the horse, noting its badly overgrown chalk surface and that the figure appeared "grey and blotchy from a distance. Usually, in the dry of summer, the chalk looks lovely and white." The writer also noted that "the gravel pathway leading to the mobility gate [was] so overgrown that no wheel or pushchair could go through to the seat in the field", and expressed the hope that Roundway Parish Council "would consider some urgent maintenance." ==Modern history==

Devizes White Horse is affectionately nicknamed "Chalkie" by locals. better known simply as the White Horse Trail, which visits all eight canonical white horses in Wiltshire. Padwick praised the trail, writing that "A lot of people are interested in doing recreational activities like this and taking on lesser and greater degrees of walking." The horse featured at the centre of the logo for Roundway Parish Council, which was concerned that Roundway was being mistaken for "a mere adjacent for Devizes", and launched the logo in 2011 to help distinguish the settlement from Devizes. Roundway Parish Council merged with Devizes Town Council in 2017, although Roundway's last chairman, Chris Callow, spoke proudly of the parish council's achievements, including its role in helping with the cutting of Devizes White Horse. Peter Greed, who designed the millennium horse, died after a long illness in November 2008 at the age of 73, and is commemorated with a plaque on the entrance gate to Bank Field. Celebrations Further celebrating the millennium, a time capsule was buried beneath the horse on 31 December 1999 with help from Pearce Civil Engineering, and the horse was floodlit the same night from dusk until dawn on 1 January 2000. The time capsule, co-donated by Wessex Water, was filled with items of local interest, while the floodlighting of the horse could be seen from miles away. The horse was lit again on 30 June 2012 when, as part of the Ageas Salisbury International Arts Festival, both Devizes White Horse and the nearby Alton Barnes White Horse were illuminated by lantern parades. More than 300 lanterns were placed around the Devizes horse, and it was lit from 10 pm to midnight. On 10 October 2009, to celebrate the horse's tenth anniversary, locals, including the Mayor of Devizes, walked onto the horse to form a human "10" figure. A light aircraft from GS Aviation flew over the figure to take an aerial photograph. A scout group in Devizes celebrated St George's Day in 2017 by sprucing up and weeding the white horse. Replica To celebrate its tenth anniversary in 2012, Nursteed School in Devizes unveiled a small replica of the Millennium Horse on its grounds. This horse was constructed over several months by volunteers, including staff and students, and is a tenth of the size of the original. A small number 10 was initially placed on the horse, resembling the human "10" figure formed by volunteers on the original millennium white horse in 2009 to celebrate its tenth birthday. ==See also==