by
Larry Pearce
8/27/19
Along with the ancient construction of Stonehenge and the magnificent cathedral at Salisbury, our homeland county of Wiltshire boasts over a dozen gigantic and artistic White Horse etchings carved into various chalk hillsides. Eight are still visible today. They are known by different and distinctive names. England boasts of two-dozen such works, but the Westbury one in the photo above is among the oldest and has come to symbolize Wiltshire itself. It is visible from all directions some 17 miles away. Another, near the village of Alton Barnes, made international headlines for a reason we shall learn about below. But first, I’ll let two published articles and websites tell the story of the chalk horses. (Press the back arrow to come return to this page.)
Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Westbury_White_Horse
and the county promotional page: https://www.wiltshirewhitehorses.org.uk
Now, the amazing story of an 11-year old little girl named Molly Sutherland helping to restore the White Horse site near the village of Alton Barnes is the best part of all. It is reported in this Facebook video, courtesy of the BBC:
https://www.facebook.com/BBCWiltshire/videos/360957551505367/
Should you visit Wiltshire, the place from which our Pearce family originated, be sure to visit their wonderful heritage sites, especially the various hills of the White Horses.
Last revised 8/27/19