This shot was taken from the bus on our journey from York to Helmsley last month. We had just left the village of Husthwaite towards Coxwold when the White Horse came into view. It is quite a challenge getting a photo here, since the road twists and turns so much, but I was quite pleased with this shot.
Britain's largest white horse in surface area situated on the SSW facing steep slope of Roulston Scar. It was designed and financed by Thomas Taylor, a Victorian businessman, and was cut in 1857. A native of Kilburn, he worked for a London merchant. He had seen the famous chalk hill figures of southern England and wanted to create something similar for his home village.
The village schoolmaster, John Hodgson, and helpers did the work. He marked out the figure of a horse on a hillside high above the village. A team of thirty-one volunteers did the actual cutting. When the shape of the Horse was complete, they deposited 6 tons of lime on the naturally greyish rock beneath to whiten it.
The White Horse is 314ft long and 228ft high and about 20 people could stand on the grass island, which forms the eye, though walking on the horse is now strongly discouraged.
Unlike the horses in the South of England which are cut into chalk and are therefore naturally white and virtually self-preserving, the Kilburn white horse is cut into limestone, which is the wrong colour and needs artificial whitening. This was first done using gallons of whitewash, but now chalk chippings from the Yorkshire Wolds are used.
Sadly, the shape is rather distorted, but it is still quite an impressive sight, and is visible from quite a long distance.
Thank you all for your lovely comments and favs, they are very much appreciated.
It is a popular walk along the edge of the escarpment from the visitor centre at Sutton Bank to the white horse, but the horse itself is a great dissapointment when you get to it, though there are lovely vires along the route.
To the north, around 3 miles away, there is a racehorse training stables, and it is a wonderful sight to see them on the gallops.
(I will surely come back to Uk 👍)
Love the story too!
Thank you all for your lovely comments and favs, they are very much appreciated.
It is a popular walk along the edge of the escarpment from the visitor centre at Sutton Bank to the white horse, but the horse itself is a great dissapointment when you get to it, though there are lovely vires along the route.
To the north, around 3 miles away, there is a racehorse training stables, and it is a wonderful sight to see them on the gallops.
Ian
Thank you Vesna, but it is eye catching from a distance like this.
Ian