Vale of White Horse
Non-metropolitan district in England / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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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.
Vale of White Horse
Vale of White Horse District | |
---|---|
Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
Constituent country | England |
Region | South East England |
Non-metropolitan county | Oxfordshire |
Historic county | Berkshire |
Status | Non-metropolitan district |
Admin HQ | Milton, Vale of White Horse |
Incorporated | 1 April 1974; 50 years ago (1 April 1974) |
Government | |
• Type | Non-metropolitan district council |
• Body | Vale of White Horse District Council |
• Executive | Liberal Democrat |
• MPs | Layla Moran (Liberal Democrat) David Johnston (Conservative) |
Area | |
• Total | 223.4 sq mi (578.6 km2) |
• Rank | 65th (of 296) |
Population (2022) | |
• Total | 142,116 |
• Rank | 160th (of 296) |
• Density | 640/sq mi (250/km2) |
Ethnicity (2021) | |
• Ethnic groups | |
Religion (2021) | |
• Religion | List
|
Time zone | UTC0 (GMT) |
• Summer (DST) | UTC+1 (BST) |
ONS code | 38UE (ONS) E07000180 (GSS) |
OS grid reference | SU3462689188 |
Website | www |
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.