Dragon's Eye and Dragon Hill near White Horse Hill

Dragon's Eye on Dragon Hill, 1954 The Dragon's Eye is the bare spot of chalk on Dragon Hill which is situated in the vale just below White Horse Hill which is on the Ridgeway near Uffington.

Dragon Hill is a low flat-topped artificial mound. There is a legend that it was here that Saint George slew his dragon, its blood spilling on the ground to leave a bare white patch where no grass can grow. However this is anachronistic myth-making, as the whole White Horse site dates from prehistoric times long before the myth of Saint George came into existence.

The Dragon's Eye and the figure of the White Horse were created by removing the turf to show the underlying chalk, and possibly date from around 1000BC in the late Bronze Age. The White Horse may represent a horse goddess which is found throughout the ancient Celtic world.

The photograph was taken in 1954.