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Hill figure

Alton Barnes White Horse

Milk Hill, Wiltshire

A horse cut by a painter who ran off with the money.

In 1812 a local farmer paid a painter, John Thorne, known as Jack the Painter, £20 to design a white horse on Milk Hill. Jack hired a workman to cut it, then ran off with the money.

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When
Cut 1812
Where
51.3715, -1.8560
Group
Hill figures & giants

Visiting

Best seen from the road between Alton Barnes and Honeystreet. Paths lead up Milk Hill.

Cover of The Ledger of Lost Britain by Cale Mills
Read the full story in the book

The Ledger of Lost Britain

The Romans arrived in AD 43. For most people that is where the history of Britain begins. But by the time the legions landed, people had already been living on these islands for thousands of years. They had hunted, farmed, mined flint, dragged stones across the country, raised a hill by hand, and buried their dead in great tombs. They left no written words. What they left was the ground itself. Every place in this book can be visited, or has been dug up, or is in a museum.

Buy on AmazonAll books by Cale Mills

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