Vale of White Horse

Vale of White Horse
Vale of White Horse District
Characteristic landscape of farmland, hills and woodlands
Characteristic landscape of farmland, hills and woodlands
Vale of White Horse shown within Oxfordshire
Vale of White Horse shown within Oxfordshire
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Constituent countryEngland
RegionSouth East England
Non-metropolitan countyOxfordshire
Historic countyBerkshire
StatusNon-metropolitan district
Admin HQMilton, Vale of White Horse
Incorporated1 April 1974; 50 years ago (1 April 1974)
Government
 • TypeNon-metropolitan district council
 • BodyVale of White Horse District Council
 • ExecutiveLiberal Democrat
 • MPs
Area
 • Total223.4 sq mi (578.6 km2)
 • Rank65th (of 296)
Population
 (2022)
 • Total142,116
 • Rank160th (of 296)
 • Density640/sq mi (250/km2)
Ethnicity (2021)
 • Ethnic groups
List
Religion (2021)
 • Religion
List
Time zoneUTC0 (GMT)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+1 (BST)
ONS code38UE (ONS)
E07000180 (GSS)
OS grid referenceSU3462689188
Websitewww.whitehorsedc.gov.uk

The Vale of White Horse is a local government district of Oxfordshire in England. It was historically part of Berkshire. The area is commonly referred to as the 'Vale of the White Horse'. It is crossed by the Ridgeway National Trail in its far south, across the North Wessex Downs AONB at the junction of four counties. The northern boundary is defined by the River Thames. The name refers to Uffington White Horse, a prehistoric hill figure.

As well as being a local authority district, the Vale of White Horse is a geographical, historical and cultural region. The name "Vale of White Horse" predates the present-day local authority district, having been described, for example, in Daniel Defoe's 1748 travel account A Tour thro' the Whole Island of Great Britain.[2] There are references to the name as early as the 17th century; the Elizabethan antiquarian and historian William Camden referred to the "Vale of White Horse" in his 1610 topographical study on the British Isles.[3] Traditionally, the Vale has been understood to cover an area wider than the present-day local authority district, stretching from Buscot, in the west, to Streatley, in the east.[4] The Vale and Downland Museum, based in Wantage, stores and presents the cultural heritage of the region.

  1. ^ a b UK Census (2021). "2021 Census Area Profile – Vale of White Horse Local Authority (E07000180)". Nomis. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 5 January 2024.
  2. ^ Defoe, Daniel (30 April 2024). "A Tour thro' the Whole Island of Great Britain (1748)". Google Books. Retrieved 31 May 2023.
  3. ^ "Berkshire, Surrey and Sussex". A vision of Britain though time. Retrieved 7 February 2023.
  4. ^ Mavor, William Fordyce (30 April 2024). "General view of the agriculture of Berkshire. Drawn up for the consideration of the Board of Agriculture and internal improvement (1809)". Google Books. Retrieved 8 February 2023.