Uffington, Oxfordshire
The eastern boundary crosses Kingston Warren Down and Ram's Hill, almost to Fawler and partly along Stutfield Brook.The white horse may have been associated with the adjoining Dragon Hill, a small natural hillock with an artificially flattened top.Contrary to popular Victorian theories, the Battle of Ashdown in 871 was not fought at Uffington and the White Horse was not created as a monument by King Alfred's men.The earliest known records of place names (toponym) are as Uffentun and Offentona in Anglo-Saxon charters from 931 now reproduced in the Cartularium Saxonicum.The tower is mounted in the centre of the building rather than at one end, over the crossing between the nave, chancel and transepts, and (unusually) is octagonal (8-sided) in cross-section rather than square.It has a semi-reclining effigy of Saunders set in a semi-circular coffered arch, with a large plaque surrounded by strapwork.The Great Western Main Line was built through the parish in 1840, passing just over 1⁄2 mile (800 m) north of the village.In 1864 the Faringdon Railway was completed, joining the Great Western at a junction 1 mile (1.6 km) northeast of the village.It is referenced in the well-known book "Tom Brown’s Schooldays", written by Thomas Hughes who was born in Uffington in 1822.The museum also has copies of correspondence by John Betjeman, our other village literary great, who lived in Uffington from 1934 to 1945.This is named the Thomas Hughes Memorial Hall after the author of the book "Tom Brown’s Schooldays".