Uffington White Horse re-chalked by volunteers

Blackleaf

Blackleaf

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More than 100 people are taking part in the re-chalking of the Uffington White Horse.

Set in the beautiful countryside of the parish of Uffington in Oxfordshire (previously in neighbouring Berkshire) the Uffington White Horse is thought to date back up to 1000BC, measures 374 feet in length and can be seen for miles around.

Ranger Andy Foley said: "This is a great opportunity for people to provide real hands-on help in looking after our local heritage."

The Bronze Age figure is re-chalked once a year to keep it white.

Uffington White Horse re-chalked by volunteers

4 May 2014
BBC News


The White Horse at Uffington is the oldest dated chalk figure in the country

More than 100 people are taking part in the re-chalking of the Uffington White Horse.

The 3,000-year-old Oxfordshire landmark is fully-booked for visitors to take turns restoring it in 30-minute slots.

Advice and equipment is being provided by National Trust staff at the site.

Ranger Andy Foley said: "This is a great opportunity for people to provide real hands-on help in looking after our local heritage."

The Bronze Age figure is re-chalked once a year to keep it white.

The tradition became so popular that it was temporarily banned in 1857 when it attracted over 30,000 visitors and travellers, many who were reluctant to leave afterwards.

Mr Foley said: "It's quite a spectacle even for those who aren't actually pounding the chalk."

The White Horse at Uffington is the oldest dated chalk figure in the country and forms part of a landscape of ancient sites.

BBC News - Uffington White Horse re-chalked by volunteers
 
Blackleaf

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PoliticalNick said:
Not nice Bill. I'm taking my girlfriend to the UK and in the fall and that horse is on of our stops.
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The Uffington White Horse is just one of several ancient sites in the area that you can visit which are part of the White Horse group of monuments in the care of the National Trust.

The most significant nearby feature is the Iron Age Huffington Castle, located on higher ground atop a knoll above the White Horse.This hillfort comprises an area of approximately 3 hectares (7.4 acres) enclosed by a single, well-preserved bank and ditch. Excavations have indicated that it was probably built in the 7th or 8th century BC and continued to be occupied throughout the Iron Age. Isolated postholes were found inside the fort but no evidence of buildings. Pottery, loom weights and animal bone finds suggest some form of occupation however. The most activity appears to have been during the Roman period as the artefacts recovered from the upper fills of the ditch attest. The ramparts were remodelled to provide more entrances and a shrine seems to have been built in the early 4th century AD. Two oblong mounds, one containing 46 Romano-British burials and one containing eight Saxon burials, lie nearby.


Uffington Castle

Dragon Hill is a small hillock immediately below the Uffington White Horse on the border of the civil parishes of Uffingfton and Woolstone in the county of Oxforshire. In 1974 it was transferred from Berkshire.

Dragon Hill is a natural chalk hill with an artificial flat-top (situated on the scarp slope of White Horse Hill), to which clings the legend that it was on its summit that Saint George slew the dragon. A bare patch of chalk upon which no grass will grow is purported to be where the dragon's blood spilled. It has been suggested as some sort of Iron Age ritual site associated with the nearby hill-figure.


Dragon Hill is where, according to legend, St George slew the dragon

To the west are ice-cut terraces known as the "Giant's Stair".Some believe these terraces at the bottom of this valley are the result of medieval farming, or alternatively were used for early farming after being formed by natural processes. The steep sided dry valley below the horse is known as the Manger and legend says that the horse grazes there at night.



The Blowing Stone, a perforated sarsen stone, which lies in a garden in Kingston Lisle, two kilometres away and which produces a musical tone when blown through, is thought possibly to have been moved from the White Horse site, in 1750.



And the Uffington White Horse is not the only giant chalk figure. England has a plethora of them, including the Cerne Abbas Giant in Dorset...



... and the Long Man of Wilmington in Wiltshire, believed to date from the 16th century. The Long Man is 69.2 metres (227 ft) tall, holds two "staves", and is designed to look in proportion when viewed from below.



Uffington White Horse - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 
PoliticalNick

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bill barilko said:
Nothing personal-sorry to hear you'll be so bored after such a long flight.
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Won't be bored at all Billy. Lots to do over there. Plenty of ancient castles and historical sites from the druids. Plus my cousin is getting married and I will be seeing some family I haven't seen in 20 years or more. Then off to Paris on a 200mph train for a romantic week with my lady visiting the galleries and restaurants. We will actually do and see more in 3 weeks there than we did on the last 6 trips the Jamaica, Mexico and Cuba.
 
Blackleaf

Blackleaf

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bill barilko said:
Nothing personal-sorry to hear you'll be so bored after such a long flight.
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Britain receives about twice as many tourists annually as Canada does and was the eighth-most-visited country in 2012. You don't get bored when you come to Britain. There is probably more history and culture in one county or region in Britain than there is in the whole of Canada.

And the English countryside is the most beautiful in the world, especially on a beautiful spring or summer's day when it's full of bluebells and buttercups and you can smell the blossom in the air. You can't beat going for a nice stroll through the countryside on a sunny day and having a picnic by the ruins of a medieval castle or ending up in an 800 year old pub with medieval farming implements on the wall. You can't do that in Canada.
 
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