Farley Mount

A second entry in my 'random things in the countryside' series - first here.

This is the Farley Mount monument, just outside Winchester. The views to the surrounding countryside are stunning. While I was waiting for the sun to lower behind the monument I could hear the bells from Hursley church in the background - lovely.

This monument has a strange history; it's a folly dedicated to a horse from the 18th century. The inscription reads:

"Underneath lies a horse, the property of Paulet St John Esq, that in the month of September 1733 leaped into a chalk pit twenty five feet deep a foxhunting with his master on his back, and in October 1734 he won the Hunters Plate on Worthy Downs ad was rode by his owner and entered in the name of 'Beware Chalk Pit'."

I love the English countryside for things like this.

(Backblip uploaded for yesterday.)