Iconic chalk horse restored to former glory (UK) 10/July/2024

An iconic prehistoric chalk figure - believed to be Britain’s oldest - has been restored after archaeologists discovered it had been shrinking. Work last year revealed the neck and head of the 3,000-year-old Uffington White Horse in Oxfordshire had narrowed to less than half of its typical size. Archaeologists from the National Trust and Oxford Archaeology have restored the 364ft-long (111m) horse by carefully cutting any encroaching turf back to the estimated original edge. Some of the top layer of chalk on the figure has also been redistributed. National Trust archaeologist Adrian Cox said the figure was “hugely important“ but also intriguing as “we don’t know for certain its original purpose“. #whitehorse #chalkhorse #uffingtonwhitehorse