What is the name of the white horse that is placed in stone on a British hillside and where exactly is it?

Question

I was watching a documentary on Camelot, and it showed an aerial view of a huge white horse on a hillside. It is surrounded by grass, and I am assuming that it was created by placing stones on the ground to keep the grass from growing. It was shown in context with Stonehenge and other British landmarks pertaining to medieval times.

Anyone know exactly where it is and what it is called? I'd like to use Google Earth to see it, so a nearby town would be great!

Thanks in advance!

Also, and other nifty British landmarks that can be seen on Google Earth?

Answer 1

There are actually many, and worldwide!
But mainly Wiltshire in England.

http://wiltshirewhitehorses.org.uk/index.html

Answer 2

Although there are many figures of this description, it seems that all of them are post-mediaeval, with the single exception of the highly-stylised White Horse of Uffington which dates back to the Bronze Age.

It is in Oxfordshire, and the nearest towns are Faringdon and Wantage.

Such hill figures are created (and nowadays refreshed) by cutting away the top layer of turf to expose the white chalk underneath.

Answer 3

the uffington white horse is the oldest (bronze age), much earlier than the middle ages - like stonehenge, which is prehistoric, and much earlier than the white horse.

what on earth have these to do with the fictional camelot?

sounds like someone was rather mixed up and condensing a few thousand years of history into one historical soup.

anyway, this is an interesting list of hill figures, which vary in age quite considerably.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chalk_figures_in_the_United_Kingdom

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camelot

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camulodunum

Answer 4

Uffington - It is created just by removing the grass from the underlying chalk soil.
The Great Man of Wilmington is another good one but x rated

Answer 5

The White Horse, Sutton Bank near Thirsk (North of York). Nice walk but watch out for the hangliders

Answer 6

Could be the Uffington White Horse, at Uffington:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uffington_White_Horse

There are other links here to various landmarks:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chalk_figures_in_the_United_Kingdom

Answer 7

There are several. See below.