Cherhill White Horse

The figure was first cut in 1780 by Dr Christopher Alsop of Calne, who created it by removing turf to expose the underlying chalk. Its original dimensions were approximately 165 ft by 220 ft. Alsop, who served as Guild Steward of the Borough of Calne, has been described as "the mad doctor" and is said to have directed the work from a distance using a megaphone. The design may have been influenced by the work of his contemporary, the painter George Stubbs. In the 19th century, the horse was given a glass eye formed from bottles inserted into the ground. These were later lost, and a similar feature added in the 1970s also disappeared. The current eye is constructed from stone and concrete and…