Mysterious…
the horse carved into the Oxfordshire slopes.
Photo: AP THE age-old tradition of "scouring” or rechalking one of Britain’s most mysterious ancient monuments – and having a knees-up at the same time – was revived at the weekend. For centuries locals used to clamber up White Horse hill near the village of Uffington in Oxfordshire, freshen up the prancing creature carved into the chalky slopes and enjoy folk music, games and one or two glasses of something refreshing. The event, which included horse racing and chasing a round of cheese down the steep slopes, was halted in 1857 after about 30,000 people who turned up became just a bit too rowdy. But the National Trust charity, which has managed the hill for the past 30 years, decided the time was right to revive the tradition. Several hundred people were expected to make sure the horse – now a little faded around the edges, thanks to the close attention of sheep and rain – was returned to its former glory over the bank holiday long weekend. White Horse Hill’s warden, Carlone Searle, said: "Local people feel very fond of the horse. They want to feel they are involved in its care. So we thought a good way would be to invite them up here and get them to help to rechalk the figure.”
She shudders at the term "scouring". In the past, scouring involved stripping a layer of chalk away to make the figure gleam. Now they simply replace a layer of chalk, quarried locally.