Furthermore, over hundreds of years the outlines would sometimes change due to the scourers not always cutting in exactly the same place, thus changing the shape of the original glyph. The oldest and most famous hill figure in England is the 110 m long and 40 m high Uffington White Horse, located 2.5 km south of the village of Uffington on the Berkshire Downs, Oxfordshire. Clearly they wanted to make their mark at the highest point in the landscape, and perhaps a white horse was their tribal totem. The white horse gallops onwards, as it has for more than 3,000 years, but as Andy Foley, the local National Trust ranger points out, “Uffington is not just about the white horse. Inspired designs on t-shirts, posters, stickers, home decor, and more by independent artists and designers from around the world. A physics professor from Italy described the works as geoglyphs. High quality Uffington White Horse gifts and merchandise. Uffington post office (Uffington White Horse designs only) Faringdon Tourist Information. The 140 km trail dates from prehistoric times and was used by farmers and travellers. Find out more about the Anglo-Saxons. The internationally-renowned Bronze-Age Uffington White Horse can be seen for miles away leaping across the head of a dramatic dry valley in the Ridgeway escarpment. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. The horse was a direct influence on much later hill figures of white horses, including Kilburn White Horse (1858) in Yorkshire and Folkestone White Horse (2003) in Kent, in addition to the white horse cut from heather that existed from 1981 until the mid-1990s in Mossley, Greater Manchester. It was created by digging trenches into the hillside and then filling them in with white chalk. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website. Our understanding of the monument has been enhanced by partial excavation and geophysical survey from which the site is known to contain archaeological and environmental evidence relating to its construction and the landscape in which it was built. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. Ancient History Encyclopedia Foundation is a non-profit organization. Some Rights Reserved (2009-2020) under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike license unless otherwise noted. The Uffington White Horse seen from the air The original White Horse, a stylized Bronze Age figure carved into an Oxfordshire hillside This wonderfully stylized and minimalist horse is the granddaddy of white chalk figures, first carved some time in the late Bronze Age some 3,000 years ago. More controversial are the Cerne Abbot Giant in Dorset and the enigmatic Long Man of Wilmington in Sussex. It is believed to have been carved into the hillside near the town of Uffington, in Oxfordshire, sometime during the late Bronze Age, between 1380 B.C. One reason that the vast majority of hill figures have disappeared is that when the traditions associated with the figures faded, people no longer bothered or remembered to clear away the grass to expose the chalk outline. 5 out of 5 stars (67) 67 reviews $ 23.69. There are some who believe that the great carving does not represent a horse at all but a dragon. The latter end of this date range would tie the carving of the Horse in with occupation of the adjacent Uffington hillfort, and may perhaps represent a tribal emblem or symbol marking the land of the inhabitants of the hillfort. The truth, however, proved to be even more spectacular, as silt dating conducted in 1990 found that the Uffington White Horse was made during the late Bronze Age, making it … Favorite Add to Autumn hare at Uffington DruMarland. It is situated facing NW near the top (at approx. Bibliography From shop WeldedBliss. The Horse is situated on a steep escarpment, close to the Late Bronze Age (c. 7th century BCE) hillfort of Uffington C… Please support Ancient History Encyclopedia Foundation. A banner that read ‘fathers 4 justice stop the secret family courts’ was recovered from the site by police, although the Fathers 4 Justice organization denied any connection with the senseless act. The Horse is only part of the unique complex of ancient remains that are found at White Horse … The Uffington White Horse is a prehistoric figure of a horse. The elegant creature almost melts into a landscape rich in prehistoric sites. The 2011 Census recorded the parish's population as 783. The great horse of Uffington, 360 feet long and 130 feet high, has been visible in Britain's countryside since the time of Christ. Some people believe that it is actually meant to be a dragon, not a horse. Settlements uncovered in the river valleys and eastern Berkshire also date from the… Ancient History Encyclopedia Limited is a non-profit company registered in the United Kingdom. Uffington Castle: White horse location - See 83 traveler reviews, 28 candid photos, and great deals for Uffington, UK, at Tripadvisor. A number of other prehistoric remains… This unique stylized representation of a horse consists of a long sleek back, thin disjointed legs, a … "The White Horse of Uffington." Facts About the Monument to the Great Fire of London, 13 Easy DIY Halloween Decorations – Ideas and Inspiration, 10 Creative DIY Star Wars Christmas Holiday Crafts, Christmas in Germany: Facts About German Christmas Traditions, TT Rockstars Tips: How to Get Better at Times Tables Rock Stars. Was the Uffington white horse carved by supporters of a cult of the horse-goddess or created for ritual or religious purposes? This unique stylized representation of a horse consists of a long sleek back, thin disjointed legs, a streaming tail, and bird-like beaked head. Stunning views on a clear day including a crop circle at the moment. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. This is the Uffington White Horse, the oldest of the English hill figures. The carving has been placed in such a way as to make it extremely difficult to see from close quarters, and like many geoglyphs it is best appreciated from the air. The blood of the dying dragon was supposed to have been spilled on Dragon Hill, leaving a bare white chalk scar where to this day no grass will grow. and 550 B.C. Experts suggest it is over 3,000 years old. After walking around the castle we walked along the ridgeway to wetland smithy. Robin and the troops arriving from Nottingham meet up with William Marshal and his troops at the White Horse in Uffington. Learn how your comment data is processed. 6,451 acres (2,612 hectares) according to VCH Berks (1924), ie, including Balking and Woolstone; it was measured as 3,205 acres according to 1851 census, probably without these chapelries. The horse has been vandalized several times during the 20th century. A mysterious White Horse is carved into the chalk hillside above the village of Uffington, Oxfordshire. The White Horse of Uffington, with its elegant lines of white chalk bedrock, is thought to be the oldest hill figure in Britain. Other articles where Uffington White Horse is discussed: Berkshire: …the Iron Age, is the Uffington White Horse, which is carved into the chalk of the White Horse Hill. Also nearby is the Manger, a series of giant terraces, where the white horse is said to sleep at night. Uffington Castle: White horse location - See 83 traveler reviews, 28 candid photos, and great deals for Uffington, UK, at Tripadvisor. The earliest documentary reference to a Horse at Uffington is from the 1070′s CE when ‘White Horse Hill’ is mentioned in Charters from the nearby Abbey of Abingdon, and the first reference to the Horse itself is soon after, in 1190 CE. Uffington White Horse Climbing Notes. Measuring some 374 feet in length, the stylised image was created by digging trenches into the earth some ten feet wide, exposing the white chalk bedrock below. The Scouring of the White Horse: a Novel: Family history edition, The Land of the White Horse: Visions of England. What was the purpose of these giant figures, who carved them, and how have the oldest examples survived for perhaps thousands of years? Of course, the other big attraction at Uffington is the White Horse, a stylised horse shape, picked out in the chalk on the hillside beside the hillfort. latest news. The hill forms a part of the scarp of the Berkshire Downs About Uffington Victory over the Danes by King Alfred is said to have caused the carving of the great White Horse of Uffington which sprawls 400ft across the hillside below the Iron Age battlements of Uffington Castle. Uffington White Horse, the horse's head. The Uffington White Horse is 374ft tall and has occupied the Berkshire Downs for 3,000 years. The Ancient History Encyclopedia logo is a registered EU trademark. However, the cult Epona was imported from Gaul (France) probably in the first century CE, which is when we find the first depictions of the horse goddess. It was presumably created out of crushed chalk deposited into deep trenches. Uffington White Horse. This date is at least six centuries after the Uffington horse was carved. Perhaps the St. George connection with the White Horse is a confused memory of some strange prehistoric ritual performed on Dragon Hill by its creators, perhaps as long as three thousand years ago. Attractions near White Horse Hill: (0.21 mi) Uffington Castle (9.25 mi) Incarcerated (9.31 mi) The Museum of Computing (9.86 mi) STEAM - Museum of the Great Western Railway (7.38 mi) Buscot House; View all attractions near White Horse Hill on Tripadvisor $ Some researchers see the Horse as representing the Celtic horse goddess Epona, who was worshipped as a protector of horses, & also had associations with fertility. In White Horse Class this week we have been looking at the Hindu festival Diwali. There are 56 hill figures scattered around England, with the vast majority on the chalk downlands of the southern part of the country. Here are some facts about the Uffington White Horse. Welcome to Uffington Church of England Primary School We are a small inclusive primary school, providing education from 2 ½ through to 11 and are in a lovely setting, in the heart of the village, close to the White Horse Hill. https://www.ancient.eu/article/229/. Be the first to submit your climbing note! Your email address will not be published. It's … The Uffington White Horse hill figure is on the Berkshire Downs on the south side of the … There has been some debate over Arabia’s Works of the Old Men. Nearby is a small hill with a flat top, known as Dragon Hill. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. The Uffington White Horse is a 110m long figure cut into a chalky hillside in Oxfordshire, England. Numerous educational institutions recommend us, including Oxford University and Michigan State University and University of Missouri. New archaeological and geological evidence is increasingly indicating a medieval date for the giant naked human figures, which some historians have argued were products of an age of civil war and extreme political turmoil in England, when satire was sometimes the only weapon. The Uffington White Horse seen from the air The original White Horse, a stylized Bronze Age figure carved into an Oxfordshire hillside This wonderfully stylized and minimalist horse is the granddaddy of white chalk figures, first carved some time in the late Bronze Age some 3,000 years ago.