Editing Uffington White Horse (section)

==History==
Until the late 19th century, the horse was scoured every seven years as part of a more general local [[fair]] held on the hill. [[Francis Wise]] wrote in 1736: "The ceremony of scouring the Horse, from time immemorial, has been solemnized by a numerous concourse of people from all the villages roundabout."<ref name="SI">{{cite magazine |last=Cleaver |first=Emily |date=6 July 2017 |title=Against all odds, England's massive chalk horse has survived 3,000&nbsp;years |magazine=[[Smithsonian (magazine)|Smithsonian]] |url=http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/3000-year-old-uffington-horse-looms-over-english-countryside-180963968/|access-date=12 July 2017}}</ref> After the work was done a rural festival was held sponsored by the [[lord of the manor]].<ref>{{cite book |first=Charles |last=Knight |year=1847 |title=The National Cyclopaedia of Useful Knowledge |volume=III |place=London, UK |page=225}}</ref>

During the Second World War the figure, easily recognisable from the air, was covered over with turf and hedge trimmings so that ''[[Luftwaffe]]'' pilots could not use it for navigation during bombing raids.<ref name="SI"/> It was uncovered after the war by Welsh archaeology professor [[William Francis Grimes]].<ref name="StClair">{{cite book |last=St. Clair |first=Kassia |year=2016 |title=The Secret Lives of Colour |place=London, UK |publisher=John Murray |isbn=9781473630819 |oclc=936144129 |page=57}}</ref>
 
While the horse is annually re-chalked and restored by volunteers, there have been some alterations over the years.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2023-08-02 |title=Uffington White Horse: Plans to fatten up shrinking Oxfordshire chalk figure |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-oxfordshire-66371566 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240702111644/https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-oxfordshire-27259585 |archive-date=2024-07-02 |access-date=2024-07-02 |language=en-GB}}</ref> In August 2002, the figure was defaced with the addition of a rider and three dogs by members of the "Real Countryside Alliance" (Real CA). The act was denounced by the [[Countryside Alliance]].<ref>{{cite news |title=White horses defaced by activists |date=28 August 2002 |website=[[BBC News]] |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/2220725.stm |access-date=23 April 2011}}</ref> For a couple of days in May 2003, a temporary hill figure advertisement for [[Big Brother 4 (UK)|the fourth series]] of [[Channel 4]]'s series ''[[Big Brother (UK)|Big Brother]]'' was controversially placed near the figure.<ref name="marktownsend"/> In March 2012, as part of a pre-[[Cheltenham Festival]] publicity stunt, a bookmaker added a large jockey to the figure.<ref>{{cite news |title=Bookmaker adds jockey to Uffington Horse |date=9 March 2012 |website=[[BBC News]] |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-oxfordshire-17297495 |access-date=5 July 2017}}</ref> In August 2023, a restoration project was planned by the [[National Trust]] and archeologist Adrian Cox to quantify and reverse the gradual shrinking of the horse since the 1980s.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2023-08-02 |title=Uffington White Horse: Plans to fatten up shrinking Oxfordshire chalk figure |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-oxfordshire-66371566 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240702111531/https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-oxfordshire-66371566 |archive-date=2024-07-02 |access-date=2024-07-02 |language=en-GB}}</ref> In the summer of 2024, [[Oxford Archaeology]], in partnership with the [[National Trust]] and [[English Heritage]], began the project to restore the horse to its original position and shape with the help of many volunteers.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/uffington-castle-white-horse-and-dragon-hill/the-uffington-white-horse-project/ |title=The Uffington White Horse Project |publisher=English Heritage |access-date=18 August 2024}}</ref>