Everything about The Kilburn White Horse totally explained
The
Kilburn white horse,, is a hill figure formed in the hillside near the village of
Kilburn, in
North Yorkshire,
England. The horse is long by high and covers about and is said to be the largest and most northerly in England.
Located on the southern flank of
Sutton Bank, near the
Roulston Scar at the edge of the
Hambleton table-land, it faces south-south-west and is clearly visible from some distance, particularly from the East Coast main railway line south of
Thirsk.
Sutton Bank,
geologically, is formed of
limestone and the horse was created by removing the
topsoil and exposing the underlying rock. It was created in November 1857, and some accounts state that it was done by school master
John Hodgson and his pupils, together with local volunteers. A tablet erected at the car park below it reads, "The Kilburn 'White Horse' -- This figure was cut in 1857 on the initiative of Thomas Taylor, a native of Kilburn. In 1925 a restoration fund was subscribed by the readers of the
Yorkshire Evening Post and the residue of £100 was invested to provide for the triennial grooming of the figure."
However, Morris Marples in his 1949 book gives Thomas Taylor the credit for being the prime mover: a native of Kilburn, he was a buyer for a
London provision merchant, and he seems to have attended celebrations at
Uffington White Horse in 1857, and he was inspired to give his home village a similar example. Thirty-three men were involved in cutting it, and 6
tons (6.1
metric tonnes) of
lime were used to whiten the exposed rock.
Nowadays a
car park is provided below the white horse and there's a
footpath ascending past it and crossing immediately above it. The image itself is now formed of off-white limestone chips, but the steep
gradient of the hillside, especially at the horse's breast and
forelegs, have led to slumping and retention boards have been fixed to restrain this.
The view from the footpath is magnificent. The car park is located on a steeply graded minor road between Kilburn village and the Visitor Centre on the
Scarborough main road, and the best view of the white horse itself is from the road on the
Bagby, and benches are provided at the best vantage point to allow leisurely observation.
During
World War II the horse was covered over to prevent it from becoming a conspicuous navigation landmark for enemy bombers.
Further Information
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