Folkestone White Horse

The Folkestone White Horse is a white horse carved into Cheriton Hill. It overlooks the English terminal of the Channel Tunnel. Work on the figure began in September 2002 and finished in June 2003. The design came from local artist Charlie Newington, inspired by an Iron Age fort on nearby Horse Hill. It was the first official hill figure in Folkestone, though a chalk patch on Summerhouse Hill is sometimes called the Folkestone Elephant.

The project started as a Millennium Landmark to help regenerate Folkestone. Planning permission was first sought in April 1998, with a canvas mock-up raised in August 1999. English Nature opposed it because the hill is a Site of Special Scientific Interest. After a public enquiry in 2001, the Deputy Prime Minister Stephen Byers approved the plan in March 2002. The work was done entirely by hand, with volunteers digging trenches and laying limestone slabs.

Visitors find a 90-metre-long horse made of limestone set into the hillside. The figure faces west and can be seen from the Channel Tunnel terminal. A small group called the Friends of the Folkestone White Horse looks after the site. They do light weeding and keep the figure in good condition. A time capsule was buried at the site in June 2004.