Alton Barnes White Horse

More recently, the horse was illuminated by candles every winter solstice for over ten years, as well as in a lantern parade to celebrate its 200th anniversary in 2012.

[10] Pile and Thorne agreed that the white horse would be excavated to a depth of 1 foot (0.3 m) and subsequently packed with chalk rubble.

[10] According to contrasting accounts, Pile either had to pay Harvey a similar sum to finish the work,[5] or was left to complete the horse himself.

[5] According to Paul Newman, author of Lost Gods of Albion, Thorne's Bohemian background and mischievous intent when asked to cut the horse has cemented him as a unique figure within the history of hill figures: "Although one cannot applaud John Thorne for his less than scrupulous attitude towards the duties he had undertaken, he has enlivened the annals of turf-cutting by bringing to this eccentric art a low, Bohemian shiftiness, pleasantly at variance with the solid trustworthiness of the squires and local worthies so often encountered in the histories of these figures.

[4][13] As parish councillor Steve Hepworth, who worked on the project, explained, the helicopter was necessary as lorries were not allowed to transport chalk, because the horse stands "in the middle of a Site of Special Scientific Interest on a national nature reserve with European protection.

"[4] In July and August 2019, the horse was scoured by a group of hundreds of people from many nations, using some 46 tonnes of pristine chalk flown in by an RAF Chinook helicopter.

[14][15] Led by Rob Sutherland, the work was initially hampered by driving rain and high winds, but the scouring was completed with help from local school students and their parents.

"[8] It features in the 1995 music video for "Staying Out for the Summer" by British band Dodgy, and in numerous artworks, including one by landscape artist Anna Dillon[18] and another painted in 1996 by Graham Arnold which is housed in Wiltshire Museum.

[23] This was achieved by a small group of people placing tea lights in jars and arranging them around the outline of the white horse.

[26] Maria Bota, the organiser of the event, said "I came to the county four years ago and discovered these white horses scattered around the landscape - often in beautiful settings.

"[26] Approximately 100 spectators watched from Mark Hill as the horse was illuminated in several different fashions, "first its body in swirling patterns of brilliant white lights, and then its outline in the warm glow of yellow flame," before finishing in a firework display.

Critics felt the stunt was "disrespectful" to the horse, with Wiltshire Council leader Philip Whitehead criticising it on Twitter, while others defended it and spoke of its temporary nature.

The group said they intended to remove the symbol without trace by daybreak, saying in a Facebook post: "Let’s be clear, this was by no means an illegal act.