Press release 30 March 2017
NEW CHALK CARVING TO BE CREATED IN HONOUR OF WILTSHIRE CURE CONNECTIONS
The county of Wiltshire is home to eight White Horse chalk carvings, the oldest in Westbury dates from 1778 and the most recent, near Devizes was carved to mark the millennium.
Plans are in place to create a new chalk carving in the north Wiltshire town of Calne to honour the area’s connections as the home of the Wiltshire Cure. The chalk carving will be in the shape of a pig and will mark the town’s history of Wiltshire ham and bacon production.
The White Pig will be the second chalk carving in the Calne area. Cherhill White Horse, created in 1780, can be clearly seen from the A4 when travelling between Calne and Avebury World Heritage Site. The site is a haven for wildlife with footpaths to the top offering far reaching views across Wiltshire.
Sue Boddington, Curator at Calne Heritage Centre said “The Heritage Centre has been working with the ‘Calne Our Place’ initiative to increase tourism in Calne and make residents aware of the town's rich heritage. We receive more queries about the Harris Bacon Factory than any other topic. The creation of a chalk pig will be a great attraction and a fitting tribute to the Harris brothers who in the early 1840s devised a method of curing bacon that became known as the Wiltshire Cure, recognised as a quality product internationally.”
Robert Buttle, a free-range pig farmer and self-catering property owner from Buttle Farm, Compton Bassett added “We take pride in the strong connections the area has to the pork industry and as a pig farmer myself, it will be a fantastic opportunity to showcase Wiltshire and its food connections further.”
David Andrews, Chief Executive, VisitWiltshire also commented “Calne has such a strong connection with the curing process and it’s great to see it being honoured in such a way. We hope it will bring a lot more people into the area to come and see the White Pig and look forward to seeing its progression.”
Further information on the White Pig will be announced shortly, keep an eye on www.visitwiltshire.co.uk for details.
Notes to editors:
VisitWiltshire is the official Destination Management & Marketing Organisation for Wiltshire representing 600 partners. It is a public/private sector membership organisation with our main funder being Wiltshire Council. VisitWiltshire's priority is to grow the county's Visitor Economy by raising awareness of the destination and generating additional tourism visits and spend. Wiltshire's Visitor Economy currently generates an estimated £1.5billion and supports over 29,000 jobs.