A Warm Whitchurch Welcome

Whitchurch is a small country town, nestling in the upper reaches of the River Test valley in the north of Hampshire, and surrounded by fine chalk and flint downland and tranquil countryside.

Over one hundred years ago the Star newspaper reported: “Whitchurch is in Hampshire. People who live in it call it a town. People who live out of it call it a village. It is about as big as a good-sized pocket handkerchief. It has three shops and 19 public houses.” Much has happened since that was written but Whitchurch is still a town, a status awarded in 1285 by Royal Charter and proudly guarded by its residents.

The Early Days

The name Whitchurch may originate from the Old English Witcerce, thought to mean White Church, with connections to a chalk construction or to white-washing. The town has had a church since the 9th century and the present All Hallows building dates from the 13th century.

Early settlements date from around 400BC and archaeological excavations have unearthed ancient tools and pottery as well as remains of human habitation.

With the Black Death decimating the population in the 14th century arable farming made way for sheep rearing, and fairs and markets became a major feature of life.

Important ancient tracks converged here and because of that the town developed into an important coaching and sheep-trading centre and attracted a growing population.

The River Test
Chalk Stream

Did You Know that chalk streams are extremely rare? In fact, there are only 210 anywhere in the world and 160 of them are found here in England.

These crystal-clear, nutrient rich, streams, filtered through the chalk bedrock have produced some of the most beautiful stretches of water in southern England and the finest of these is the World famous River Test, flowing through the centre of Whitchurch.

Chalk streams maintain a consistent temperature in both summer and winter and support a rich fertile ecosystem of flora and fauna. There are twenty two species of mayfly found along the River Test and nearly 40 species of caddis fly; it’s no wonder that it is regarded as the home of fly fishing.

Local Industry

In the past local industries developed along the river and Hampshire’s chalk streams still produce some of the world’s best watercress.

The fast-flowing River Test also provided ideal conditions for watermills and Whitchurch had four, which led to successful silk, grain, wool and paper industries, while many pubs and inns opened up to cater for the passing trade and the agricultural workers. Two of the mills survive today as popular visitor attractions. Whitchurch Silk Mill is Britain’s oldest working silk mill still operating in its original building, and two miles upstream Laverstoke Mill is now home to the Bombay Sapphire Gin Distillery.

Follow the Whitchurch Mill Trail upstream to Bere Mill where the first Bank of England bank notes were made from paper washed with water from the River Test and lookout for kingfishers along the riverbank at Town Mill where owners Ronald and Rosemary Eastman filmed a pair of common kingfishers at their underground nest; The Private Life of the Kingfisher screened in 1967 was the first BBC natural history film to be shown in colour.

A Famous Victory for Liberty

However, it is not just the physical development that has built the identity of Whitchurch. On 6 September 1889 Herbert Booth of the Salvation Army said “Whitchurch today is writing a page in history that time will never erase”, for it was in Whitchurch that the legal right of citizens to demonstrate peaceably was established.

The police had arrested around eighty residents for gathering in the Square to support the Salvation Army band. Thousands assembled in the Square and riots ensued. Charged with riot, unlawful assembly and rout, the group applied for the case to be heard in the High Court of Justice and in July 1890 the court found in their favour, setting down laws granting the public the right to peaceful protest. It was a “famous Victory for Liberty in England”.

Modern Whitchurch

One of the town’s most famous residents was Alfred Thompson ‘Tom’ Denning – Lord Denning, Master of the Rolls (1899–1999). A plaque on the building adjacent to the Town Hall commemorates his birthplace.

The author Richard Adams also made Whitchurch his home for over 30 years. It was his wanderings across the nearby North Wessex Downs countryside that inspired his modern classic Watership Down, a favourite read the world over.

Whitchurch has grown in recent years with new housing accommodating a growing number of residents. Despite this, the town still retains its sense of place; a small country town with a big heart, proud of its heritage.

Whitchurch residents are very proud of their town.
Come and explore to understand why.