World Top Ten Things

Uffington White Horse

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The Uffington white horse can be found 1.5 miles due south of Uffington 
village on the Berkshire downs (although now in Oxfordshire). It is 
situated facing NW near the top (at approx. 800 ft) of a very impressive
 steep escarpment below the Ridgeway long distance footpath, Whitehorse 
hill and the Saxon hillfort of Uffington castle and above Dragon hill. 
There is convenient parking nearby at Woolstone hill and at Whitehorse 
hill. This high locale makes the horse difficult to view from close 
quarters (although it can be seen quite well from some parts of the 
B4507), it is seen rather better from most areas of the Vale of the 
White Horse.<br />
<br />
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsnbMJS_81w0YVFROwd6LqWhISu4EKXt8_hA6QdYLRMREBO3D0wL1skyqDyKrLTorb63gklP9pa3ya1LFxGwYigVC5mYiedtCMI0K3ckgf9Z2CKv-QwMrQrMilmhwmkgqRd3LkzjxUHBs/s1600/White+Horse+01.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" id="postimg" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsnbMJS_81w0YVFROwd6LqWhISu4EKXt8_hA6QdYLRMREBO3D0wL1skyqDyKrLTorb63gklP9pa3ya1LFxGwYigVC5mYiedtCMI0K3ckgf9Z2CKv-QwMrQrMilmhwmkgqRd3LkzjxUHBs/s640/White+Horse+01.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1L30NVGcfT1SPibQAiGI2pVPl7kdRt6v51fT710Tx5kijWg_CJPY_IfB8zfDieTEiUbjcQohyphenhyphenlvy6qp3yI8Sc5koVFTghoMnn5QNrQ1XckwLsPVVD4__g4IT13VSYzyG4-uy2JD6deRU/s1600/White+Horse+02.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" id="postimg" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1L30NVGcfT1SPibQAiGI2pVPl7kdRt6v51fT710Tx5kijWg_CJPY_IfB8zfDieTEiUbjcQohyphenhyphenlvy6qp3yI8Sc5koVFTghoMnn5QNrQ1XckwLsPVVD4__g4IT13VSYzyG4-uy2JD6deRU/s640/White+Horse+02.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The best view is undoubtedly from the air, but lacking aerial 
capabilities the best view is from about 1 mile to the North, although 
the view from Dragon hill is not bad. It is also the largest of the 
horses being some 374 feet in length and 110 feet in height, constructed
 of trenches which are 5 to 10 feet in width and 2 to 3 feet deep and 
filled with chalk, this is a few feet above the natural chalk of the 
hill. The horse is in excellent condition being maintained by the 
National Trust. The edges are well defined partially consolidated with 
concrete (although well hidden) and the top edge reinforced with 
polypropylene netting, the chalk white and well compacted and erosion 
repaired when necessary. The horse was scoured on the 24th June 2000.<br />
<br />
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The Uffington white horse is undoubtedly Britain’s oldest and most 
famous hill figure, which has recently been dated at 3000 years old by 
the Oxford Archeological Unit. 1000 years older than previously thought.
 This the oldest hill figure and inspired the creation of many of the 
other white horses although and particularly its closeness to Uffington 
castle may have inspired the creation of the first Westbury horse by 
Bratton camp, which also faced right. The earliest reference to it was 
in in the 1070's when white horse hill was mentioned, the first actual 
reference to the horse itself was in 1190.<br />
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The horse is unique in its features, the horse being a very long sleek 
disjointed figure and this leads some to believe it represents the 
mythical dragon that St. George slain on the adjacent Dragon hill or 
even his horse. However others believe it represents a Celtic horse 
goddess Epona, known to represent fertility, healing and death. It may 
have been created to be worshipped in religious ceremonies. Similar 
horses feature in Celtic jewelry and there is also evidence for horse 
worship in the Iron Age. The scouring of the horse is believed to have 
been a religious festival in later times, giving more creditability to 
the figure being of religious origin. Others believe that it 
commemorates Alfred’s victory over the Danes in 861 AD or that it was 
created in the seventh century by Hengist in the image of a horse on his
 standard, however the recent scientific data upon its age seem to 
discount these more modern theories. Several Iron age coins bearing 
representations of horses very similar to the Uffington horse have been 
found and would support the theory of the horse being from an earlier 
period than the seventh or eight centuries.<br />
<br />
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Also unusual is the fact that the horse faces to the right while all 
other horses and other animal hill figures face left, with three 
exceptions, the very first Westbury horse, the Osmington horse and the 
more modern Bulford Kiwi. The earliest record of the white horse is from
 Abingdon Abbey in the late 12th century, although white horse hill was 
mentioned a century earlier. There are many records after this period 
with a very good historical record from the 18th century in which the 
horse has changed little in appearance from then to the present day. 
There were occasions when the horse became overgrown, 1880 for example 
and was in danger of being lost like some of the other hill figures. 
There is no danger of this happening now, with English Heritage caring 
for this Ancient monument.<br />
<br />
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Source :- http://www.unbelievableinfo.com/2013/12/uffington-white-horse.html </div>
</div>
</div>

Uffington White Horse

The Uffington white horse can be found 1.5 miles due south of Uffington village on the Berkshire downs (although now in Oxfordshire). It...