Marlborough White Horse

Located on a shallow slope on Granham Hill, above the village of Preshute, just southwest of Marlborough. It is just to the west of the A345 Marlborough to Pewsey Road, and south of the A4. Today unless you are aware of it, you are unlikely to notice it as you drive through the area.

I think it was originally designed to be viewed from the Marlborough Mound at SU 183687 (more below). The horse would also have overlooked the flat area in front used to play local cricket matches. As it originally had only two legs, it is possible that it was some representation of a creature coming out of the ground, or hillside perhaps connected with the legends around the mound also said then to be the burial site of the magician Merlin.

Over its history this horse has changed:-

The design was by William Canning, a son of Thomas Canning of the Manor House in Ogbourne St. George, and pupil at the Academy. The horse had two legs and no eye, and a naturalistic, somewhat plumper representation of a horse. It was cut in 1804 by pupils of a boys' school run by a Mr Greasley or Gresley, who ran the Academy in the High Street, located where the Ivy House Hotel, is now. This academy was a different school to Marlborough College, which did not exist at the time being established in 1843. It became a school tradition to maintain the horse, until Mr Greasley's death around 1830. It then became overgrown. In 1860 it was in reasonable condition again; a photograph taken that year of a cricket match shows the horse in the background. It seems to have then become neglected again until 1873 when a former pupil, Captain Reed organised the repair of the horse. The horse gained an eye and two more legs,  became more defined and more horse like, some would say more stylized. He is said to have taken part in the creation of the horse, but if so would have made him rather elderly when taking on the recovery and redesign.

Marlborough College

In 1843, a group of Church of England clergymen, with the backing of the Archbishop of Canterbury, were looking to found a boarding school with the prime purpose of educating the sons of clergy.  Hearing that the Castle Inn at Marlborough was vacant, they took a lease on it and so Marlborough College started in August 1843 with the admission of its first 199 boys.

Marlborough Mound SU183687 (Also known as Merlins Mount, and Marlborough Mount). In the grounds of Marlborough College, thought to be the same age as Silbury Hill 5 miles west, but smaller, although the second largest man made mound in Europe after Silbury. It is  20 metres high and about 100 metres in diameter at its base. After 1068 the Normans started to build a castle here, digging a moat to surround the Marlborough Mound and a large area to the south of it. The castle reached the peak of its importance in Henry III's time, Parliament enacting “The Statutes of Marlborough” there in 1267. This later became the site of the Castle Inn. The name 'marlborough' , from the anglo-saxon 'Maerle beorg' - Maerla's barrow. It is also said to be the burial place of Merlin - the town's motto is 'Ubi nunc sapientis ossa Merlini' i.e. Where now are the bones of wise Merlin. The mound is said to have had  a spiral path in the past.

By the tennis courts follow the bridleway left to see the white horse or the footpath right to get to it.

One other site noted

Future

I have seen reports that a new roundabout is to be built in Salisbury Road, Marlborough to provide access to the new White Horse Business Park. There is a plan to create two chalk white horses, one on each side of the roundabout, with chalk spoil from the development.