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Uffington
The oldest hill figure in Britain, the White Horse of Uffington is a stylised representation of a horse (or dragon) cut in the turf to reveal the white chalk bedrock.

The hill figure is thought to date from the Iron Age possibly around 1000BC, coins have been found from this time showing a similar depiction of a horse.

According to folklore the horse was either created by Hengist, a fifth century Saxon leader, or by Alfred the Great.

The white horse seems to have been the focus of ritual activity and celebration for several centuries. Until quite recently a two day festival was held every seven years called the scouring of the white horse . The white horse was re-cut and local people celebrated with dancing, wrestling, fencing and cheese rolling down the nearby manger.
On certain nights the white horse was said to wander down to the manger, a valley formed by melting ice during the last Ice Age, to feed.

Uffington White Horse, Drawing: D. Parkinson
Dragon Hill
Dragon hill is a natural hillock with an artificially flattened top situated in the depression below the White Horse of Uffington. According to legend it is the place where St George slew the dragon. A bare patch on the hillside is said to be where the blood of the dragon spilled, no grass is supposed to be able to grow there.
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Map ref: SU 302 866
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