The Vale of White Horse

There are many places of interest in the Vale of the White Horse. The market towns of Abingdon, and Wantage are full of beautiful buildings and provide excellent shopping opportunities. A stroll through them brings to life England's rich history; from King Alfred the Great to the Civil War and the MG sports car.

Scattered throughout the countryside are many ancient sites, some whose origins are shrouded in mystery.

Within a short distance of Uffington there are many things to see. Here are just a few of them.

The Ridgeway

The ridgeway is a prehistoric route used by travellers, herdmen and soldiers for thousands of years. It runs along the top of the Berkshire Downs, and passes the Uffington White Horse, Uffington Castle, Waylands Smithy, and many other ancient sites along its route. It gives access to lovely countryside and beautiful views. The National Trails website has more information. The X47 bus service stops in Uffington and at points close to the Ridgeway. See also the 'Plan your visit' section of this site.

Wayland's Smithy

Wayland's Smithy is one of the most impressive and atmospheric Neolithic burial chambers in Britain.

It dates from around 4000BC and was constructed in two distinct phases, identified during excavations in the 1960's.

Traditionally, this ancient grave was associated with Wayland, the Saxon god of metalworking. According to the legend, Wayland inhabited the mound and was ready to shoe a horse. The horse had to be left at the mound alone for a short period, along with the payment of a silver coin. On returning the horse would have been shod and the payment would have disappeared.

Wayland's Smithy is located just off the Ridgeway path, approximately 1½ miles west of The Uffington White Horse. Entry is free. The Ridgeway here is in reasonably good condition and the easy walk provides lovely views over the Berkshire Downs to the south and over the Vale of White Horse to the north. It is possible to drive to a point closer to Wayland's (turn up the hill from the Knighton junction on the B4507) but parking is limited to a small lay-by large enough for only a few cars. There are no visitor facilities.

The Blowing Stone

Outside a cottage (which in Thomas Hughes's time was a public house) on the edge of Kingston Lisle, a short distance from Uffington, there is a large odd-shaped stone It is local sarsen, a very hard sandstone which was originally a layer on top of the chalk, and is the same kind of stone which the prehistoric builders used not only for the local tomb called Wayland's Smithy, but also for the stone circles of Avebury and Stonehenge.

The line drawings (from Thomas Hughes's "Scouring of the White Horse") show the stone at the base of a tree in front of the public house, and the method of blowing it (above). The chains are looped through a pair of holes in the stone, and seem to hold some sort of plug - presumably lockable to prevent the stone from being blown.

Many examples of sarsen have root holes through them, the result of trees growing into the sand and mud as it was forming and becoming fossilised. The Blowing Stone has particularly large and long root-holes, one of which is capable of making a noise if it is blown like a trumpet. The effort required, and the skill needed to obtain a sound is considerable.

Great Coxwell Barn

Near Faringdon is Great Coxwell Barn which was built between 1300 and 1310.

The author and poet William Morris described it as the finest piece of architecture in England.

More about the Vale

For more information about the Vale of White Horse go to the Vale of White Horse tourist information website.

Go to the Uffington.net site for more information on the Uffington area.

The Wantage web site has much information about the town and the Vale and Downland Museum.

Faringdon also has a useful web site with many local links.

For information on other Vale villages and small museums, try these sites:

The Ashbury village web site, East Hendred village museum and the Stanford in the Vale community web site.

 

Copyright © Tom Brown's School Museum, 2009