F  a  r  l  e  y  D o w n   F  o  l  l  y

Perched atop Farley Down, which is to the west of Winchester, you will find built on an ancient burial mound, a rather unusual folly, although in this case memorial or tomb may be a better description.

Horse`s Tomb
It was erected in 1740 by Sir Paulet St John, the local squire and landowner, to house the body of his .....horse!
The story behind this unusual and expensive tomb, is that one day when Sir Paulet was out fox hunting on his favourite horse, the pair fell down into a chalk pit. Both miraculously survived, but the amazing part of the story is that the depth of the pit is recorded as being 25 feet.



As most people realise there is always one consistent feature in the tales behind follies, that is that you should never let the facts get in the way of a good story, so I will leave it to you to decide on the depth.


The Inscription   

In Gratitude
Apparently after this life saving leap, Sir Paulet in gratitude decided to call his horse "Beware Chalk Pit". the horse later went on the following year, to win the local hunters plate in a race on Worthy Down, so it seems he was no worse for his record breaking leap.
Upon the death of his horse,- probably exhaustion but it`s not recorded - the horse was buried under this 30 foot tall pyramid as a mark of gratitude for saving Sir Paulet`s life.
Inside the doorway is a small area with 3 seats let into the walls, with the above plaque on the wall facing the entrance. It appears that the arches were originally open and have since been bricked up, as can clearly be seen when looking from the inside. The structure appears to be built of brick then rendered, and like many follies, needs some attention sooner than later.
Sir Paulet himself lived until 1790 and was buried in St John`s Church at Farley Chamberlayne.

Visiting:-
Access is easily gained to see this memorial as it is in the Farley Mount Country Park. There are several car parks to choose from, the one you want is not unsurprisingly called `monument car park`.

Co-Ords: 440300 129030 / SU 403290  

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