Rockley Horse

General Information

National Grid Ref SU 1525 7325

The horse was curiously located almost at the summit of Rockley down ridge making it very difficult to view. It is a mystery as to why it was constructed there. The horse was on property belonging to Wick farm, a few hundred yards south of the B4041, three and a half miles from Marlborough. The site is easy to find (well it took me 2 hours) the aerial photo was difficult to match with the ground). It can be easily visited park opposite the Barn (NGR SU 154 734) in the small lay by and follow the footpath past the barn and alongside the trees. Where this line of trees bends is where the horse was (and the photo was taken of).

History.

The location of this horse kept its knowledge of its existence hidden for a great deal of years until discoloured turf was noticed by shepherds in the late 1940’s. It was ploughed in 1948 and the horse revealed, constructed of loose chalk rubble. The dimensions were measured, 126 ft nose to tail and 66 ft from back to toe in the style of a moving horse. It is now lost after a failed attempt to preserve it, no trace now remains. Its construction and history are a mystery but it probably dates from the same period of the other Wiltshire white horses although none of the experts of the era knew of its existence. One of the few photos of this horse is below.

Maps

Photos

Aerial Photo from the 1940s

The Site Today

Photos below reproduced with kind permission of the Wiltshire Heritage Museum, Devizes

Photo: DZSWS 1985.7830, Wiltshire Heritage Museum, Devizes

Photo: DZSWS 1983.8388, Wiltshire Heritage Museum Devizes