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Hillfort
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Bratton Castle is the name of the hill fort perched up here above the white horse between Bratton and Westbury. Right in the middle is a longbarrow, so I suppose people have been using the site for a lot longer than the Iron Age. The view up here is pretty fantastic. You sometimes get mad people up here hanging off their parachute/kite contraptions which is quite entertaining to watch.
Bratton Castle is reputedly the battlefield for King Alfred's victory over the Danes, with the white horse being built as a memorial. There's some debate about how long a white horse has been here at all. Some say the present (now concreted) one was made in the 18th century, but drawings exist of a horse facing in the opposite direction - perhaps that was there previously, or is it a printer's mistake? The drawing shows a stretched out animal, apparently half daschund, looking a bit bonkers. The present figure frequently undergoes controversial little alterations - it has been turned into a zebra, and has also sported a hat.
It's a fantastic spot (particularly when sunny) - especially if you ignore the cement works below. My boyfriend's grandma had her ashes scattered here (unfortunately it always seems rather windy up here and he got a faceful).
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Posted by Rhiannon
13th May 2002ce
Edited 23rd September 2012ce
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