The Osmington White Horse was created in 1808 as a tribute to King George III who regularly visited his seaside residence in Weymouth. The Osmington White Horse Restoration Project was initiated in May 2009 to rectify 200 years of deterioration,  spasmodic ‘maintenance’ and changes caused by wind and weather.

With a grant from Natural England, and help from local organisations and individuals, together with research and technical expertise by Ordnance Survey and English Heritage, work began in July 2010

Each stage raised its own challenges. These ranged from having to remove 160 tonnes of superfluous stone without jeopardising the surrounding SSSI, having to work in all weathers on a steep hillside, and determining the original outline after much change over the years.

Before works started July 2010

The end

Completion of work Sept 2011

Research was needed across widely disparate sources including oil paintings from the period, old photographs and Ordnance Survey maps, on-site analysis of earthworks, and the use of the latest GPS and mapping technologies. The interactive use of such a combination of sources is believed to have broken new ground in this type of restoration.

ChrisThis website documents the progress with a series of blog posts illustrated with hundreds of photographs, most of which have been submitted by Chris Bird who lives at the foot of White Horse Hill. The posts are listed below in chronological order.

 A selection of Chris’ photos from the beginning to the end of the restoration project.

Click thumbnails for larger image