Uffington White Horse
Aerial view of the White Horse | |
Whitehorse Hill Location in Oxfordshire | |
| Location | Whitehorse Hill, Oxfordshire, England |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 51°34′39″N 1°34′00″W / 51.57750°N 1.56667°W |
| Altitude | 261 m (856 ft) |
| Type | Hill figure monument |
| Length | 100m (330ft) |
| History | |
| Material | Chalk |
| Founded | 1380–550 BC |
| Site notes | |
| Ownership | National Trust |
| Public access | Yes |
| Website | nationaltrust |
| Designated | 1929 |
| Reference no. | 1008412 |
The Uffington White Horse is a prehistoric hill figure, 110 m (360 ft)[1] long, formed from deep trenches filled with crushed white chalk. The figure is situated on the upper slopes of Whitehorse Hill in the English civil parish of Uffington in Oxfordshire, some 16 km (10 mi) east of Swindon, 8 km (5.0 mi) south of the town of Faringdon and a similar distance west of the town of Wantage; or 2.5 km (1.6 mi) south of Uffington. The hill forms a part of the scarp of the Berkshire Downs and overlooks the Vale of White Horse to the north. The best views of the figure are obtained from the air, or from directly across the Vale, particularly around the villages of Great Coxwell, Longcot, and Fernham.
The Uffington White Horse was created some time between 1380 and 550 BC, during the late Bronze Age or early Iron Age. The site is owned and managed by the National Trust and is a scheduled monument.[2] The Guardian stated in 2003 that "for more than 3,000 years, the Uffington White Horse has been jealously guarded as a masterpiece of minimalist art."[3] The Uffington Horse is by far the oldest of the white horse figures in Britain; the others inspired by it have an entirely different design.[4][5]
- ^ Powell, Eric A. (September–October 2017). "White horse of the sun". Archaeology. 70 (5): 9–10. ISSN 0003-8113. Retrieved 31 August 2017. "Master File Complete [for subscription]". EBSCO. Archived from the original on 13 May 2019. Retrieved 31 August 2017.
- ^ Historic England. "The White Horse hill figure 170 m NNE of Uffington Castle on Whitehorse Hill (1008413)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 15 February 2014.
- ^ Townsend, Mark (4 May 2003). "Big Brother's logo 'defiles' White Horse". The Observer. Retrieved 10 October 2015.
- ^ "Wiltshire Uffington". Wiltshirewhitehorses.org.uk. 21 March 2010. Archived from the original on 14 May 2011. Retrieved 23 April 2011.
- ^ "Uffington White Horse". hows.org.uk. Archived from the original on 9 November 2020. Retrieved 10 October 2015.