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Viral Video of Blenheim Palace's Headless Horseman Viewed More Than 1.6m Times
Video of an apparently headless horseman riding through Woodstock has gone global after being viewed more than 1.6m times on Facebook.
The footage, which was taken by Sara Wren, features passers-by reacting in shock to the spooky figure clad in black and riding a jet-black horse down the high street of the historic market town.
It has attracted comments from across the globe with viewers wondering whether it’s part of some Oxfordshire folk tradition.
In fact, the horseman is part of a forthcoming Halloween trail at Blenheim Palace, the UNESCO World Heritage Site and birthplace of Winston Churchill, which adjoins Woodstock.
In reality the sinister figure was actually expert rider and jouster Dominic Sewell who runs Historic Equitation, a specialist equestrian company, and his stunning Friesian cross stallion Faraon.
He was taking part in a preview for the forthcoming Halloween event at Blenheim which launches on 25th October and features a cast of live characters including ghostly highwaymen, wandering scarecrows and a coven of witches.
The after-dark family trail also includes fire performers, a giant King of the Pumpkins, a haunted circus, and larger-than-life Jack in the Boxes.
In addition to causing a stir in Woodstock, the headless horseman also paid a visit to the local barbers, opticians and rode across the Duke of Marlborough’s stunning ‘Capability’ Brown landscaped parkland stopping off at what’s known as the ‘finest view in England’ which was somewhat lost on the truncated tourist.
The Halloween Trail is being produced by Sony Music and Raymond Gubbay Live and is part of a series of spooky family experiences taking place at iconic locations across the country including the National Trust’s Quarry Bank Mill in Cheshire and Forestry England’s Moors Valley Country Park in Dorset this month.