Topic: white horse losing its shine ??

[Debs]

from my recollection it lost its shine years ago now... its looking mighty scruffy no matter from which angle you look at it


http://www.whitehorsenews.co.uk/blog/?p=1454

English Heritage treated the horse to a facelift back in 2006 but since then the state of the horse has deteriorated.
A concerned resident said, “It’s only been five years since they did it, and it was less than four years ago that it started to deteriorate.
“The White Horse has never been white since they did away with the chalk face. The White Horse is synonymous with the area, so we’re a bit disappointed that what effort went into putting the horse right has not paid off. It really needs to be redone.”
Town and Wiltshire councillor David Jenkins said, “It’s an embarrassment. I went out to Bratton and looked up and thought it looks ill. It’s a shame because it could look very nice and be something to be proud of.”
Westbury Town Council approached English Heritage earlier this year, asking if the horse could be cleaned, in particular to get the horse looking groomed ready for the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee celebrations next year. However they were told that, as the horse had been cleaned in recent years, it would be hard to justify the expenditure.
Work had to be carried out on the horse last year to remove graffiti.
Westbury Mayor cllr David Windess said, “I agree, it does need doing - it looks more like a zebra than a horse! We do care about the White Horse, but the financial cost is astronomical. It’s not just a matter of brushing it down and painting it, there’s the health and safety and specialised paint.”
The original White Horse, the oldest in Wiltshire, was carved into the chalk hillside in 1778 but replaced an earlier horse, possibly created to commemorate King Alfred’s nearby victory over the Vikings. The horse’s original chalk surface had to be scoured regularly to keep it white, but in the late 1950s the horse was covered in white-painted concrete.

Work on surrounding areas

While the horse itself may be in need of some TLC, some of the areas around the horse are benefiting from improvements.
Concerned residents in Westbury pointed out to the area board recently that the road up to the White Horse was becoming narrower due to undergrowth and built up mud at the sides of the steep road.
The road is used not only by visitors but by joggers, walkers and horse riders, so the width of the road was deemed even more important to maximise its use.
Wiltshire Council highways team brought out the “unimog”, a multi function auto four-wheel drive truck that does everything from filling in potholes to cutting back verges.
The Swiss army knife-style vehicle took to the hill out of Newtown and sliced back the road edges and the undergrowth.
“We were delighted to get a quick response and a good result – it’s an example of the area board doing its best to solve the issues that local people raise with us,” said area board chairman Julie Swabey.
Cutting back a Wiltshire road is tame stuff for the unimog - due to their off-road capabilities, unimogs can be found in jungles, mountains and deserts as military vehicles, fire fighters, expedition campers, and even in competitions like truck trials. They can also be used as snowploughs.
“It’s an amazing bit of kit and its versatility makes it invaluable for the work we do across the Wiltshire roads,” said a council spokesman.

Viewing area

Following concerns over the state of the viewing area along Bratton Road being raised to the area board, contractors have now been instructed to replace fencing and cut back the area. There are also plans to look at the surfacing of the area and quotes are being obtained for updating the signs in the area.

[Mike Hawkins]

"Westbury Mayor cllr David Windess said, “I agree, it does need doing - it looks more like a zebra than a horse! We do care about the White Horse, but the financial cost is astronomical. It’s not just a matter of brushing it down and painting it, there’s the health and safety and specialised paint.”

It was only 5 years ago that we were told that this specialist paint would last for years, and the town was cajoled into making a major contribution to the cost (albeit the horse is in Bratton parish).

I hope the Town Council refuses to make any further payment towards any future "improvement".

If it cannot stay white as a concrete horse, and it cannot be restored as a chalk horse, the best thing is turf it over. What contribution does it really make to Westbury?

Answers, please - not merely condemning my point of view!!

[Debs]

It was only 5 years ago that we were told that this specialist paint would last for years, and the town was cajoled into making a major contribution to the cost (albeit the horse is in Bratton parish).

if it is in bratton why has it always been called westbury white horse???     

the makers of "the specialist paint" should be contacted again and maybe sued or told to re do it if it hasnt lasted as long as they said it should do surely!!!             ive called it the dirty grey mare for a few years now... its certainly nothing to be proud of... a few years back i had visitors to stay from cumbria and the first place they wanted to see was our white horse...  shame it wasnt quite so white

[Al]

Could we not get some community service folk up their with brushes and some soapy water?

[wanderlust]

I don't think it would be difficult to round up enough volunteers to get the job done in a few days, BUT, by the time they've all been to Salisbury or Bath to get their health & safety certificate, then got hard hats, hi viz jackets & safety boots, then got training & certification in the use of a broom & paint brush, then done a course on COSHH, then filled in a 20 page risk assesment, etc., etc., etc.,

Easiest solution is to pinch Debs' idea, leave it alone & call it the Bratton Grey Horse, then nobody will be disappointed.

[Bob DeBilda]

If it cannot stay white as a concrete horse, and it cannot be restored as a chalk horse, the best thing is turf it over. What contribution does it really make to Westbury?

Answers, please - not merely condemning my point of view!!

Why can't I merely condemn your point of view?

The Westbury white horse is iconic. It appears on most town advertising material,(my wife has a hessian bag with it on) is used by a lot of local businesses and is the oldest in the county.
I also believe it is the responsibility of English Heritage to maintain it.

[Sector9]

Let's just do a late night mission and bleach it!

I would help out cleaning it, but we're told we can't do that cos someone will fall off it and sue...

Maybe I should just graffiti it with some obscene language - then they'd have to clean it...

[Al]

There are bloody great anchor points at the top, all you need is an absailing harness, a rope and a descender. Simple.

[Sector9]

BTW I'm so putting a St George's cross over the horse for Euro 2012, or maybe the red white and blue for the olympics

[Mike Hawkins]

If it cannot stay white as a concrete horse, and it cannot be restored as a chalk horse, the best thing is turf it over. What contribution does it really make to Westbury?

Answers, please - not merely condemning my point of view!!

Why can't I merely condemn your point of view?

The Westbury white horse is iconic. It appears on most town advertising material,(my wife has a hessian bag with it on) is used by a lot of local businesses and is the oldest in the county.
I also believe it is the responsibility of English Heritage to maintain it.

The current "White Horse" is an example of 18thC vandalism when the Steward of some guy who owned Heywood House decided that the original horse was not realistic enough and was facing the wrong way, and so decided to obliterate it by carving the current horse (zebra) over it. It was further vandalised in the 1950's/1960's(?)  when somebody in authority decided that it should no longer be white as chalk, but should be concreted over.

So the "Westbury White Horse" which is not actually in Westbury, and is not white, is an icon to vandalism (criminal damage) by those who decided they knew best over the past 2-3 hundred years. I don't want any more of my hard earned money spent on it!  Turf it over - that is how the slope originally looked!!

PS: Bob, the original may have been the oldest, but not this apology!!

[Bob DeBilda]

If it cannot stay white as a concrete horse, and it cannot be restored as a chalk horse, the best thing is turf it over.

In the words of John McEnroe - You can not be serious!

[Debs]

get the inmates at erlestoke over to give it a good scrub up...im sure they would relish the open air and space for a few days... nice little field trip for them

[Mike Hawkins]

get the inmates at erlestoke over to give it a good scrub up...im sure they would relish the open air and space for a few days... nice little field trip for them

Trouble is, when Erlestoke let their prisoners out for the day, they forget to return.

[Mike Hawkins]

If it cannot stay white as a concrete horse, and it cannot be restored as a chalk horse, the best thing is turf it over.

In the words of John McEnroe - You can not be serious!

But you still have not answered my question: "What contribution does it really make to Westbury?"

[Bob DeBilda]

But you still have not answered my question: "What contribution does it really make to Westbury?"

If you're talking about financial contribution to the town - very little I suspect. But that response is typical from a Tory. If it's not financially viable, get rid of it. We saw that with Thatcher and her policies.

It brings enjoyment and a 'feel good' factor and gives Westbury a bit of an identity. I travel the country a lot and when people ask me where I live the have no idea until I say It's where the famous white horse is, then they know.