Devizes Millennium White Horse and its Cavaliers

 

This photo of the Devizes White Horse was taken in 2007 following the scouring of the figure. it was taken from the Police helicopter.

 

Why not become a "Cavalier of the White Horse?" 

 

The newsletter of the Devizes Millennium White Horse Society for August 2011 has been published and can be opened at this link. The newsletter contains important news about the future of the Cavaliers of the White Horse

 Access to this sites is from the London Road out of Devizes. Turn north at the Travelodge Hotel towards Roundway village. After about a mile turn right onto a tarmac road that has a no through sign on it. At the current time there is no sign to Roundway Hill or Oliver's castle. After about half a mile you are on the road shown on the map below. As you go up the hill there is a fork in the road. Turn right for the Leipzig plantation and the White Horse car park. Turn left for the Roundway Hill covert and Oliver's castle.The black lines on the access roads indicates the end of the tarmac and the red dashed lines indicate good footpaths.  

 

 

 

The Devizes Millennium White Horse was conceived in 1998 by Sarah Padwick and constructed in 1999. It was designed by the late Peter Greed and is maintained by a group of volunteers called the "Cavaliers of the Devizes Millennium White Horse" photogallery . 

 

Below is   the Devizes White Horse from Quakers Walk taken in March 2010.

 

 

The Cavaliers of the White Horse have requested that their information pamphlet be published here. There are "2 pages below".

 

 

 

In 2009 the Cavaliers of the White Horse organised a celebration of the 10th Anniversary of the White Horse. Hundreds of people - young and old - celebrated by making a figure 10 for an aerial photo right. 

 

 

 

The is a wonderful exhibition of the Wiltshire White Horse hill figures at the Wiltshire Museum in Devizes. It runs until October 3rd 2010.

 

There is an excellent website called the White Horses of Wiltshire. There is a good discussion of the history of the Devizes Millennium White horse too.  

 

This website also describes its now almost obliterated predecessor - the 1845 Snobs' Horse on Oliver's Castle, snob is local dialect for shoemaker. It was made by the Shoemakers' apprentices in 1845.

 

Below is  an early black and white photo which shows the outline of the Snobs' Horse taken from Roundway Covert. The photo has been supplied with permission from "Discovering Hill Figures".. The photo was shot in winter and a light covering of snow shows up the ancient outline very well.