Uffington Castle (Oxfordshire)
Uffington 'Castle' is a large Iron Age hillfort.
Introduction
The Uffington Castle we recognise today is an eight-acre double walled hillfort which once had timber box-ramparts that were revetted with sarsen stones at a later period. There is a north-west facing entrance, protected by the curving outwards of the bank along both sides and around the ditch. The site was occupied throughout the early to middle Iron Age period, probably at a level similar to most other excavated hillforts. Post-holes indicate not fully recognised structures and an unusal clay-lined gully may show evidence of water management. Excavated pits have shown much evidence of weaving, spinning, the keeping of animals and other activities.
The White Horse of Uffington, with its elegant lines of white chalk bedrock, is thought to be the oldest hill figure in Britain. The image is a stylised representation of a horse (some would say dragon) some 374 feet in length, and is thought to date back as far as 1000BC in the late Bronze Age. Similar images have been found depicted on coins from that period, and it is thought that the figure represents a horse goddess connected with the local Belgae tribe. The goddess is generally believed to be one form of Epona, worshiped throughout the Celtic world.
The Castle and Horse are open at all reasonable times.
