Wherwell

Wherwell is a village on the River Test in Hampshire, England.[2] The name may derive from its bubbling springs resulting in the Middle Ages place name “Hwerwyl” noted in AD 955, possibly meaning “kettle springs” or “cauldron springs.” Pronunciation of the name has ranged from “Hurrell” to “Wer-rel” to present-day “Wher-well.”[3]

Wherwell
Wherwell
Location within Hampshire
Population473 (2011 Census including Cottonworth , Fullerton , South Harewood and Upper Enham)[1]
OS grid referenceSU3891840929
Civil parish
  • Wherwell
District
Shire county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townANDOVER
Postcode districtSP11
Dialling code01794
PoliceHampshire
FireHampshire
AmbulanceSouth Central
UK Parliament

Before the Dissolution, the parish of Wherwell was in the hands of an important abbey of Benedictine nuns, whose abbess was Lady of the Manor of an area much larger than the existing parish.

The town is associated with the Cockatrice. The story is that the cockatrice terrorised the village until it was imprisoned in the dungeons below Wherwell Priory. A prize of land was offered to anyone who could kill the creature. None were successful, until a man named Green lowered a mirror into the dungeon. The cockatrice battled against its own reflection until exhausted, at which point Green was able to kill it. Today there is an area of land near Wherwell called Green's Acres. For many years a weather vane in the shape of a cockatrice adorned the church of St. Peter and Holy Cross in Wherwell until it was removed to Andover Museum.

References
  1. "Civil Parish population 2011". Neighbourhood Statistics. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 13 December 2016.
  2. Richard Rowles, 2011, ‘’The Wherwell Village Website’’, http://www.wherwell.net/, © 2007.
  3. Test Valley Borough Council, 2011, “Wherwell”, http://www.testvalley.gov.uk/default.aspx?page=356, Page Last Updated: 10/08/2005.



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