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| Devizes - 1845 & 2000 |
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 White Horses news, views and archives brought to you by Weird Wiltshire Introduction Latest News News Archive Westbury Cherhill Marlborough Alton Barnes Hackpen Devizes Broad Town Pewsey Uffington Gallery Postcards Wallpaper Links 
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IN September 1999, Wiltshire received a new charge in its family of white horses. Facing the horse at Alton Barnes, a new horse was cut into Roundway Hill to celebrate the Millennium.Although the initial idea had been put forward the previous year, planning was only granted in April of 1999. The horse had to be carved quickly and around 200 enthusiasts from Devizes cut it in just over a month with the help of local civil engineering contractors. It was completed in plenty of time for the Millennium and a time capsule was also buried there. 
Before the creation of a new horse in 1999, Devizes originally had another that is now obscured from view. The original horse was called Snob's horse, an old word for shoemaker.
It was cut at Whitsun in 1845 by shoemakers from Devizes and was based just below Oliver's Castle, an old hill fort on Roundway Down. Unfortunately, the old horse fell into to decay quickly and grass grew over it, causing it to disappear from view by the end of the 19th century. We have a rare photograph of the horse, which is only visible in certain weather conditions, taken in 1984. |
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