| Re: Westbury White Horse - historic Wiltshire landmark Posted by Phil at 20:51, 16th September 2025 |     |
I work for Westbury Town Council, and was in office when the first calls came in about this that morning. We immediately notified the landowner - English Heritage - who informed us that they intended to send out a team of people with ropes and climbing gear to assess any damage and remove the ribbons. When we asked how quickly this might happen, we were informed it would be the following day at the earliest. Meanwhile two of our own community rangers (who look after the green spaces around the town) drove up there to make sure everything was OK, although technically the Town Council have no jurisdiction over the monument itself - in fact, it lies within the parish of Bratton, although their parish council seems perfectly content for Westbury Town Council to empty the bins and generally look after the site. Our team arrived about half an hour later. The ribbons had already been removed - nobody seems to know who removed them, just as nobody is admitting to who put them there in the first place. I don't know if English Heritage did in fact turn up the next day, but as they are being reported as having assessed it then I assume they must have done so. They certainly didn't report back to the town council. Similarly I can only imagine that any police investigation that took place was entirely office based and very quickly wound up, as we certainly haven't received any further information about that either.
| Re: Westbury White Horse - historic Wiltshire landmark Posted by Mark A at 17:56, 16th September 2025 | |
Stepping away from the stresses of the current time, here's the author Plenderleath writing on the subject of the Westbury White Horse, with linked illustrations.
I've checked, and any resemblence of the original Westbury horse to one of Graham's hounds is happenstance.
Mark
https://www.cantab.net/users/michael.behrend/repubs/plenderleath/pages/section_3.html
| Re: Westbury White Horse - historic Wiltshire landmark Posted by TaplowGreen at 17:44, 16th September 2025 | |
Is it a far White horse?
| Re: Westbury White Horse - historic Wiltshire landmark Posted by Marlburian at 17:10, 16th September 2025 | |
Kilburn White Horse in Yorkshire has also been vandalised.
In 2003, the Westbury horse was vandalised when "Stop This War" was written in yellow across it in capital letters in protest at the Iraq War. After the words were removed, the horse was noticeably grey with a white horizontal strip where the message had been.
In 1957 the horse was concreted over and painted white by Westbury Urban District Council to save on long-term maintenance costs, as the chalk of the face was eroding and unstable, The concrete tends to turn grey and deteriorate over time, requiring regular cleaning and repainting.
Some might think that using concrete on an ancient monument was itself vandalism (though at least the unsightly cement works close to Westbury has been demolished). I think that all the other white horses in Wiltshire and the Uffington one across the border remain chalk, though their maintenance can be costly. When the Alton horse in the Vale of Pewsey was refreshed, an army (?) helicopter dumped a load of fresh chalk on the hilltop.
The Fovant military badges west of Salisbury have a society dedicated to their upkeep, but nowadays professional contractors are employed with specialist equipment. In 2016 the Society added a poppy to the display (adding to the maintenance work), though it's easily mistaken for a shamrock and is not particularly visible compared with its neighbours.
| Re: Westbury White Horse - historic Wiltshire landmark Posted by Chris from Nailsea at 16:23, 16th September 2025 | |
An update, from the BBC:
Police investigate England flag on white horse
A police investigation has begun after a historic white horse carved into a Wiltshire hillside was temporarily turned into an England flag.
Red fabric was draped over the Westbury White Horse in the shape of the St George's cross on 9 September, and was attached to the 175ft (53m) tall landmark using pegs.
The installation was later removed after being reported to English Heritage, which said the site had been assessed and the pegs had caused "minimal damage".
Following English Heritage's assessment, Wiltshire Police said: "We have received a report regarding minor damage being done to the horse through the use of pegs". The force added it was "in the early stages of our inquiries". The force originally said it was not investigating the incident.
The red fabric on the landmark appeared after thousands of St George's flags appeared across England in recent months.
The Westbury White Horse is thought to have been originally carved in 878 AD to commemorate King Alfred's victory over the Danes at the Battle of Ethandune.
The landmark is a scheduled monument, which means it is protected by legislation. It is a criminal offence to damage it. Heavy fines, or even a prison sentence, can follow deliberate damage or removal of items from such sites.
A police investigation has begun after a historic white horse carved into a Wiltshire hillside was temporarily turned into an England flag.
Red fabric was draped over the Westbury White Horse in the shape of the St George's cross on 9 September, and was attached to the 175ft (53m) tall landmark using pegs.
The installation was later removed after being reported to English Heritage, which said the site had been assessed and the pegs had caused "minimal damage".
Following English Heritage's assessment, Wiltshire Police said: "We have received a report regarding minor damage being done to the horse through the use of pegs". The force added it was "in the early stages of our inquiries". The force originally said it was not investigating the incident.
The red fabric on the landmark appeared after thousands of St George's flags appeared across England in recent months.
The Westbury White Horse is thought to have been originally carved in 878 AD to commemorate King Alfred's victory over the Danes at the Battle of Ethandune.
The landmark is a scheduled monument, which means it is protected by legislation. It is a criminal offence to damage it. Heavy fines, or even a prison sentence, can follow deliberate damage or removal of items from such sites.
| Re: Westbury White Horse - historic Wiltshire landmark Posted by Timmer at 17:36, 9th September 2025 | |
It was always going to happen. Wouldn’t surprise me if it reappears again.
| Westbury White Horse - historic Wiltshire landmark Posted by Chris from Nailsea at 15:41, 9th September 2025 | |
From the BBC:
White horse checked for any damage caused by flag
A white horse carved into a hillside is being checked for damage after it was temporarily turned into a St George's flag.
Red fabric draped over the Westbury White Horse has now been removed, after being reported to English Heritage earlier. The body said it would assess whether the 175ft (53m) tall Wiltshire landmark had been damaged by pegs used to secure the fabric.
It is not clear who put the ribbon up or why - but it is not the first time this has happened. In 2018, red plastic was put up on the monument ahead of the England men's football World Cup semi-final match.
Thousands of St George's flags have appeared across England in recent months. While some football fans were flying them to cheer on the Lionesses during the 2025 Euros, many more flags have gone up in recent weeks.
Some groups responsible for putting them up have told BBC News they are motivated by pride and patriotism. But some people have said it feels provocative at a time when tensions are running high across England over the issue of immigration.
Speaking about the Westbury incident before the removal, an English Heritage spokesperson said: "Red fabric has been attached to the Westbury White Horse. We'll be removing it as soon as we can and seeing whether the pegs that were used have caused any damage to this much-loved historic landmark."
Westbury's white horse is said to be the oldest in Wiltshire. It was restored in 1778, but many believe it is much older than that.
Westbury Town Council said it was aware of the incident and Wiltshire Police said no criminal offences were thought to have been committed and the force was not investigating.
A white horse carved into a hillside is being checked for damage after it was temporarily turned into a St George's flag.
Red fabric draped over the Westbury White Horse has now been removed, after being reported to English Heritage earlier. The body said it would assess whether the 175ft (53m) tall Wiltshire landmark had been damaged by pegs used to secure the fabric.
It is not clear who put the ribbon up or why - but it is not the first time this has happened. In 2018, red plastic was put up on the monument ahead of the England men's football World Cup semi-final match.
Thousands of St George's flags have appeared across England in recent months. While some football fans were flying them to cheer on the Lionesses during the 2025 Euros, many more flags have gone up in recent weeks.
Some groups responsible for putting them up have told BBC News they are motivated by pride and patriotism. But some people have said it feels provocative at a time when tensions are running high across England over the issue of immigration.
Speaking about the Westbury incident before the removal, an English Heritage spokesperson said: "Red fabric has been attached to the Westbury White Horse. We'll be removing it as soon as we can and seeing whether the pegs that were used have caused any damage to this much-loved historic landmark."
Westbury's white horse is said to be the oldest in Wiltshire. It was restored in 1778, but many believe it is much older than that.
Westbury Town Council said it was aware of the incident and Wiltshire Police said no criminal offences were thought to have been committed and the force was not investigating.
