Wherwell, on the banks of the River Test, with
many thatched, timber framed cottages fronting the winding road, is
claimed by many to be one of the most attractive in the Test
Valley. It is certainly an amateur photographer's delight. Few
realise that a forgotten railway line runs along the wooded ridge
above and behind them.
The name, 'Hwerwyl' in AD 955, could have meant
'kettle' or 'cauldron springs' because of its bubbling springs.
Pronunciation of the name has always been a problem with variations
ranging from 'Wher-well' through 'Wer-rel' to 'Hurrell'.
Spreading to the north of the village is
Harewood Forest and you can still walk in this former hunting
ground of the Saxon Kings, following one of the many public rights
of way. The wide 'roads' in places were laid down during the last
war when parts of the Forest were used as ammunition dumps.
The 19th century monument called Deadman's Plack can be found in
the forest and commemorates a 10th century murder involving Edgar
the Peaceable who assassinated Ethelwold after he had married
Elfreda, Edgar's intended. Edgar subsequently married Elfreda and
then he died. She is said to have murdered Edgar's eldest son by a
previous marriage so that her son could become king. In 986,
perhaps as a penance, she founded an Abbey in the water meadows at
Wherwell which flourished until destroyed by Henry VIII in
1540.
Excavations of recent years revealed that the
Abbey was quite a sizeable building, almost certainly larger than
Romsey Abbey.