October Walks – 2021 [Walks 1 to 5]

“Today we covered some of the Shipwrights Way, which the Club walked in sections a few years ago (not sure when offhand! I’m guessing about 5? Someone must know…). We remembered the urn and plaque.” So, does anybody remember when that was?

The Shipwrights Way [plaque words] “In Roman times, the woods behind you were part of a thriving pottery industry, with circular pits topped by turf and fires tended day and night. Clay, water and wood for fuel were all easily to hand here, providing all the raw materials.”

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The local pronunciation of the name Wherwell on the River Test has ranged from “Hurrell” to “Wer-rel” to present-day “Wher-well”, and 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.

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