Farley Mount

Farley Mount is a hill in Hampshire, about four miles west of Winchester. The summit stands 174 metres above sea level and holds a trig point and an 18th-century monument. The hill gives its name to Farley Mount Country Park, a place of open land and woodland. A hilltop enclosure nearby dates from the Iron Age and is a scheduled monument. The park offers views across Hampshire’s rolling countryside. The monument honours a horse named Beware Chalk Pit, which won a race in 1734. The horse had fallen into a 25-foot chalk pit the year before while out hunting. Its owner, Paulet St John Esq., entered the horse in the Hunters Plate at Worthy Downs. Timothy Corsellis, a former pupil of Winchester College, wrote a poem about the monument. The obelisk is Grade II listed and bears plaques with the horse’s story. Visitors find the monument on the summit, surrounded by beech woods. The hilltop enclosure lies a short distance to the north-west. The obelisk stands as a quiet memorial to the horse’s feat. The trig point offers a clear view of the landscape. The park’s paths wind through woodland and open ground. The Iron Age enclosure adds a touch of ancient history to the scene.