White Horse, Westbury

White Horse, Westbury

The White Horse hill figure at Westbury in Wiltshire has recently been restored to its original colour using KEIM Royalan by the Rotary Club of Westbury, Westbury Town Council and Westbury residents for Queen’s Diamond Jubilee.

The White Horse hill figure at Westbury in Wiltshire has, over a period of time, become discoloured as a result of algae and other plant growth.  The White Horse is the responsibility of English Heritage who were approached, but had insufficient funds available for restoration now or in the near future.  So a joint venture was set up between the Rotary Club and the Town Council who provided the necessary monies.

Volunteers to undertake the work were obtained locally by word of mouth, from within the rotary club, from a local military garrison and by a campaign in the local press.

The horse is cut into the northern escarpment of Salisbury Plain at an angle of about 45 degrees, so volunteers had to work at the end of abseiling ropes.  For many this was their first experience of such an activity.  Stage one of the work was the cleaning which was achieved by high pressure water washing and scrubbing brushes.  No chemicals were allowed in order to protect the environment.   Stage two was the painting, which was completed over two weekends.

There have been very favourable comments from residents in Westbury and nearby villages.  The project has been extensively covered by local newspapers. ITV West Country News and BBC local radio and television have also covered the project.