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The Great Britain Guide

Historic houses · South West England

Marlborough White Horse

♿ Wheelchair: limited

Marlborough White Horse, also called the Preshute White Horse, is a hill figure on Granham Hill, a fairly shallow slope of the downland above the hamlet of Preshute, southwest of Marlborough in the co

Pond and White Horse - geograph.org.uk - 5846197

Des Blenkinsopp — CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons licence

Plan your visit

Typical visit
1 h–2 h
  • Family-friendly
  • Limited wheelchair access

About

Marlborough White Horse, also called the Preshute White Horse, is a hill figure on Granham Hill, a fairly shallow slope of the downland above the hamlet of Preshute, southwest of Marlborough in the county of Wiltshire, England. Dating from 1804, it is one of several such white horses in Great Britain, and one of eight in Wiltshire. Many distant views of the horse are obstructed by trees, but it can be seen from parts of the town of Marlborough. One good view is from a footpath running from Preshute House to the A345 road. The figure lies some 500 metres south of Marlborough College, within 100 metres of the southeast corner of the college sports ground.

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From the Wikipedia article

Marlborough White Horse, also called the Preshute White Horse, is a hill figure on Granham Hill, a fairly shallow slope of the downland above the hamlet of Preshute, southwest of Marlborough in the county of Wiltshire, England. Dating from 1804, it is one of several such white horses in Great Britain, and one of eight in Wiltshire. Many distant views of the horse are obstructed by trees, but it can be seen from parts of the town of Marlborough. One good view is from a footpath running from Preshute House to the A345 road. The figure lies some 500 metres south of Marlborough College, within 100 metres of the southeast corner of the college sports ground.

Excerpt from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0. See the source article linked in Sources below.

Background

History

The smallest (in terms of width) such horse in Wiltshire, the Marlborough horse was cut in 1804 by boys at Mr Greasley's Academy, also called the High Street Academy, a school in Marlborough High Street which occupied the building now known as The Ivy House Hotel. This was not the present-day Marlborough College, which is only a short distance away. The horse was designed and marked out on the hill by a boy called William Canning, whose family owned the Manor House at Ogbourne St George. From then onwards, it was "scoured", or cleaned, every year, this becoming a tradition at the school marked by revelry. Greasley died about 1830, and the school was closed, leading to the horse being…

Sourced from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Coordinates
51.4127, -1.7375
District
Wiltshire
Parish
Marlborough
Postcode
SN8 4DN
Parliamentary constituency
East Wiltshire
Established
1804

Sources

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Frequently asked questions

Where is Marlborough White Horse?
Marlborough White Horse is in South-West England, United Kingdom (postcode SN8 4DN), in the parish of Marlborough.
When was Marlborough White Horse built?
Built or established in 1804.
How do I get to Marlborough White Horse?
Drivers can navigate to postcode SN8 4DN. It sits within the East Wiltshire parliamentary constituency.