Dragon Hill

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Dragon Hill
Berkshire

Dragon Hill viewed from the White Horse Hill, Uffington
Range: Berkshire Downs
Summit: 456 feet SU300868
51°34’45"N, 1°34’6"W

Dragon Hill is a small hillock amongst the Berkshire Downs, immediately below the Uffington White Horse in Berkshire, on the border of the parishes of Uffington and Woolstone.

This is a natural chalk hill with an artificially flattened top (on the scarp slope of White Horse Hill); according to local legend, St George slew the dragon here. A bare patch of chalk upon which no grass will grow is purported to be where the dragon's blood spilled.

It has been suggested as some sort of Iron Age ritual site associated with the nearby hill figure.[1]

It is part of the White Horse group of monuments in the care of the National Trust, and a Scheduled Monument in its own right.[2]

Influence and cultural references

The hill was used as the setting for the music video of the Kate Bush song "Cloudbusting".[3]

View toward Dragon Hill and The Manger from below the White Horse
White Horse Hill and Dragon Hill (right)
A wide view toward Dragon Hill (centre); the White Horse is on the right

Outside links

References

  1. Nash Ford, David. "Dragon Hill: Archaeological or Natural?". Royal Berkshire History. http://www.berkshirehistory.com/archaeology/dragon_hill.html. Retrieved 5 February 2019. 
  2. National Heritage List 1006290: Dragon Hill (Scheduled ancient monument entry)
  3. McNulty, Bernadette (27 July 2014). "Kate Bush's Cloudbusting video: 7 minutes of heaven". The Telegraph. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/rockandpopfeatures/10992003/Kate-Bushs-Cloudbusting-video-7-minutes-of-heaven.html. Retrieved 4 February 2019.