Uffington White Horse - a symbol of Ancient Britain

The Uffington White Horse in Oxfordshire is thought to be the oldest of the many chalk figures carved into hillsides around Britain, and is both of historical significance and a very interesting place to visit.

The figure is situated on the upper slopes of White Horse Hill near the village of Uffington in Oxfordshire, some 10 miles (16 km) east of Swindon, and close to the ancient Ridgeway footpath. The hill forms a part of the scarp of the Berkshire Downs and overlooks the Vale of White Horse to the north. It is 360 ft (110 m) long, formed from deep trenches filled with crushed white chalk.  The figure was carved in the late Bronze Age, some time between 1380 and 550 BC.

The horse is thought to represent a tribal symbol and is similar to horses depicted on Celtic coinage, the currency of the pre-Roman-British population, and on the Marlborough Bucket (an Iron Age burial bucket found in Marlborough, Wiltshire).

Another theory points to the horse's alignment with the sun, particularly in midwinter when the sun appears to overtake the horse, to indicate that it was created as a depiction of a "solar horse", reflecting mythological beliefs that the sun was carried across the sky on a horse or in a chariot.

The best views of the figure are obtained from directly across the Vale, particularly around the villages of Great Coxwell, Longcot and Fernham - or of course, from the air! The site is owned and managed by the National Trust and is a Scheduled Ancient Monument.

Further Reading

• White Horse Hill | National Trust
• Against All Odds, England’s Massive Chalk Horse Has Survived 3,000 Years | Smithsonian Magazine
• The Uffington white horse | Wiltshire White Horses