The best hikes from bus stations around Broad Hinton

Like other White Horses in Wiltshire, the figure was created by removing the turf and exposing the white chalk underneath. As the slope at Hackpen Hill is less steep than for many other chalk figures, the horse had to be partially built up and designed with particular care to remain clearly visible from a distance. The figure belongs to a long tradition of chalk drawings in Southern England. Many of these White Horses were created in the 18th and 19th centuries as local landmarks, expressions of regional pride, or to commemorate special events. The coronation of Queen Victoria in the same year is often cited as the occasion.

The Hackpen White Horse is a large white chalk figure on the slopes of Hackpen Hill in Wiltshire. It was probably created in 1838 and is one of the well-known "White Horses" of Southern England. The historic long-distance path The Ridgeway runs directly above. From here, there is a wide view over the rolling chalk hills of the Marlborough Downs. The White Horse, the open landscape, and the ancient Ridgeway make the place a popular destination for hikers and photographers. A car park and short footpaths allow easy access to the viewpoint.

The view of Hackpen Hill and The Ridgeway shows a typical English chalk hill landscape: gentle, open ridges, wide fields, and historic paths. The Ridgeway is considered one of Great Britain's oldest long-distance paths and runs near Hackpen Hill through the Wiltshire countryside. Especially in clear weather, the heights offer extensive views over the Marlborough Downs.

On the left hand side of the Altar you will find the tomb of a 13th century Abbess. The slab bears evidence of an attempt to destroy it, probably during the reformation. The tomb was moved from elsewhere in the church during Victorian changes to the chancel area. As the lands at the north of the Benefice were under the control and ownership of Glastonbury Abbey, at which there was a Nunnery, it is entirely possible this Abbess was a significant figure. The tomb slab is remarkable and a very rare example of a slab tomb that is both etched and carved with a face.

The Sir William Wroughton monument on the right in the chancel describes Elizabeth I as Queen of England and France although Mary, her predecessor, had lost Calais, the last remaining English possession in France in 1558 and Elizabeth renounced her claim to Calais in 1559.

Lt. Colonel Francis Glanville, killed fighting for Charles I in 1645 at the battle of Bridgewater in the Civil War, has his helmet, gauntlets and a replica of his sword (the original is in the Royal Armoury) displayed above him. The Latin inscription ends “A greater hero England never saw, happily she did oft produce his equal”. The small reclining figure of a woman in her shroud at the bottom of this monument (usually hidden behind a bench seat) appears in Pevsner’s guide to Wiltshire:“her agonised features are not easily forgotten”. A panel from the Duke of Wellington’s funeral carriage (1851) hangs in the chancel in a glass case because the victor of Waterloo owned land locally.

In the top left corner of the nave is a flight of stone steps which shows there was once a medieval rood screen to screen the chancel off from the laity, probably with a figure of Christ on the cross above. Next to the stone steps are George III’s Royal Arms, painted in 1763 and cleaned in 2008 – note the fleur de lys in the shield. The chancel contains some interesting monuments to the Glanville family. Sir John was Speaker of the House of Commons in 1640. He burned his own Manor House rather than let it be used by Cromwell’s troops. A famous lawyer, he spent three years in the Tower of London after the Civil War for holding illegal Assizes and later served Charles II, as he had Charles I, as Sergeant-at-Law.

The sixteenth century was a bad time for this church. In 1553 parishioners refused to receive communion for fear of falling masonry. The broken stones allowed so many birds into the then chancel that the minister couldn’t stand by the communion table and there was no seat whilst reading the psalms. John Batewell, a vicar appointed in 1576, was officially censured for his inability to preach, neglect of catechizing and failure to wear the prescribed dress. However, a water colour of the church, painted in 1795 has text underneath which says that the church was “new built in the year 1634; brought to perfection in the year 1635; finished and beautified in the year 1636; a new pulpit erected in the year 1672; the first loft in the tower was boarded in 1676; the belfry and church porch paved in 1677”. The wonderful tie and hammer beam roof of the nave belongs to the 1634 rebuilding.