| Alton | |
Alton Barnes White Horse |
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Alton
Alton shown within Wiltshire |
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| Population | 229 (2001) |
|---|---|
| OS grid reference | SU1062 |
| Parish | Alton |
| Unitary authority | Wiltshire |
| Ceremonial county | Wiltshire |
| Region | South West |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | MARLBOROUGH |
| Postcode district | SN8 |
| Dialling code | 01672 |
| Police | Wiltshire |
| Fire | Wiltshire |
| Ambulance | Great Western |
| EU Parliament | South West England |
| UK Parliament | Devizes |
| List of places: UK • England • Wiltshire | |
Alton is a civil parish in the English county of Wiltshire. It comprises the twin villages of Alton Barnes and Alton Priors, together with the nearby hamlet of Honeystreet on the Kennet and Avon Canal.
The United Kingdom Census 2001 recorded the parish population as 229.[1]
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Alton is a civil parish with an elected parish council. It is in the area of the Wiltshire Council unitary authority, which is responsible for all significant local government functions, and is represented in the council by Brigadier Robert Hall.
Alton may have been the site of a bloody defeat of a Saxon army led by Ceawlin in the year 592.
The Church of England parish church of Saint Mary in Alton Barnes is partly Saxon.
All Saints Church, Alton Priors dates from the 12th century. It has been designated as a Grade II* listed building[2] and is now in the care of the Churches Conservation Trust.[3] The presence in the floor of the church of trapdoors giving access to Sarsen stones,[4] and the presence of the 1,700 year old Yew tree in the churchyard,[5] suggest it was a sacred site long before the church was built. There is also an unusual brass plaque to local landowner William Button, with a complex inscription. It has been speculated that the message on the plaque, and Sarsen stones may be connected with the nearby Milk Hill.[6]
There is a chalk hill figure which can be seen on Google Maps It was made in 1812. It is based on another white horse hill figure in Wiltshire, the Cherhill White Horse, but the two horses have a lot of differences.
The Wansdyke runs on the high downland, the Pewsey Downs to the north.
The figure is the third largest white horse in Wiltshire. The Pewsey White Horse can be seen from Milk Hill (the location of the horse). The figure is featured in Staying Out for the Summer (a music video for a song of the same name by Dodgy).
As of today, the figure still exists. It has been scoured recently. The March 2002 scour was not a complete scour but rather a cutting of nearby grass, thus making the figure much more visible.