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Whitwell is a small village and former
civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government. Civil parishes can trace their origin to the ancient system of parishes, w ...
, now in the parish of Niton and Whitwell, on the south of the
Isle of Wight The Isle of Wight (Help:IPA/English, /waɪt/ Help:Pronunciation respelling key, ''WYTE'') is an island off the south coast of England which, together with its surrounding uninhabited islets and Skerry, skerries, is also a ceremonial county. T ...
, England, approximately 5 kilometres north-west of
Ventnor Ventnor () is a seaside resort town and civil parishes in England, civil parish established in the Victorian era on the southeast coast of the Isle of Wight, England, from Newport, Isle of Wight, Newport. It is situated south of St Boniface D ...
, the village's nearest town. In addition to this, it is about five minutes away from its neighbouring small villages of Godshill and Niton. According to 2001 census data, the total population of the village was 578. There is a variety of stone and thatched housing, as well as some more modern housing, the most recent of which was completed in 2006. Whitwell's small size has led it to become a very close-knit community with a range of amenities including a garage, a 700-year-old church, the oldest pub on the island, dating back from the 15th century and a post office, which was recently re-located to a new premises inside the church bell tower. A trout farm is located towards Nettlecombe, with three lakes covering . The waters are well stocked with carp, roach and tench. Whitwell is named after the "White Well" inside the village. The well was visited by many during medieval times on pilgrimages, and now well dressing occurs annually each summer. Across Whitwell, six more old water standards can be seen. They were built in 1887 by William Spindler. Half the cost of installing the wells was covered by William Spindler himself, the remainder by people of the village. The water was supplied by Mr Granville Ward from a spring on his land at Bierley.


History

"White" is derived from an
Old English Old English ( or , or ), or Anglo-Saxon, is the earliest recorded form of the English language, spoken in England and southern and eastern Scotland in the Early Middle Ages. It developed from the languages brought to Great Britain by Anglo-S ...
word meaning clean or pure, and the village of Whitwell is likely to take its name from a well or spring with a reliable supply of fresh water. The original White Well, located towards the south end of the village was once a place of veneration as a 'holy well' and a site of pilgrimage in the
Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and ...
. The waters of the well were believed to contain healing powers for the infirm. The tradition of Well Dressing was started and now occurs annually at the site of the well. Each year the well is dressed and blessed by the local vicar giving thanks for water and a blessing for the village. In the village, six red iron water pumps can be seen at various intervals. These were built in 1887 by William Spindler of
St Lawrence Saint Lawrence or Laurence (; 31 December 225 – 10 August 258) was one of the seven deacons of the city of Rome under Pope Sixtus II who were martyred in the persecution of the Christians that the Roman emperor Valerian ordered in 258. ...
whose tomb now lies in Whitwell Graveyard. One is located next to the White Well in Ventnor Road, two along Kemming Road, two along the High Street, and one on Nettlecombe Road. Many of the village's buildings such as the White Horse pub, date back to the 15th century. The Church has portions dating back to as far as the 12th century, with newer additions built in the 13th, 15th and 16th centuries. In comparison to this and the rest of the village, new housing has been built relatively recently along Bannock Road. The latest new housing was completed in 2006. In 2009 Whitwell won the award for the best kept large village, in addition to the award for the overall island's best kept village, an award it has previously won in 2003. Judges from the competition were impressed by maintenance of bus stops, verges seats, commercial premises and gardens and the success of the new post office.


Governance

Whitwell lies within the parliamentary constituency of the Isle of Wight West with the seat held by Labour member Richard Quigley since 2024, and within the area of the
Isle of Wight Council Isle of Wight Council, known between 1890 and 1995 as Isle of Wight County Council, is the local authority for the Isle of Wight in England. Since 1995 it has been a Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority, being a non-metropolitan cou ...
. Together with Niton, the village forms a civil parish, chaired by Councillor Tim Addison. The Parish Council has ten members, six for the Niton ward and four for the Whitwell ward, and meets ten times annually. In 1931 the parish had a population of 636. On 1 April 1933 the parish was abolished and merged with Ninton and Ventnor.


Geography

Whitwell is located in the south of the Isle of Wight, slightly to the south of Godshill, and extends to the southern end. The nearest town is Ventnor, about 5 kilometres South of the village. Niton is the nearest village about away, which together, Whitwell and Niton form a civil parish. Also close to the village, is Nettlecombe, the site of a lost medieval village located slightly to the north east. The entire village is surrounded mainly by fields and classed as an '
Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty An Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB; , AHNE) is one of 46 areas of countryside in England, Wales, or Northern Ireland that has been designated for conservation due to its significant landscape value. Since 2023, the areas in England an ...
, forming part of the Isle of Wight AONB.' The relief is mainly flat, with some slight hills. It contains of land, in 1905 being arable land, 775½ acres permanent grass, and 74½ acres woodland. With the villages co-ordinates at N 50.60223 W 1.29967, its climate is warm, with a sea breeze coming in from the coast. It benefits from Ventnor's micro-climate as a result of being in a sheltered location on the cliff of the island's south coast. This offers the village more sunny days than much of the
British Isles The British Isles are an archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean off the north-western coast of continental Europe, consisting of the islands of Great Britain, Ireland, the Isle of Man, the Inner Hebrides, Inner and Outer Hebr ...
, and fewer frosts. The Eastern Yar, with its mouth in the north-east of the island, extends an infant tributary to Whitwell and at one point, a stone sheep wash is still present. The River Yar Trail was set up on 24 May 2002, with a milestone outside the White Horse in Whitwell. Whitwell's
built environment The term built environment refers to human-made conditions and is often used in architecture, landscape architecture, urban planning, public health, sociology, and anthropology, among others. These curated spaces provide the setting for human ac ...
is characterised by its mixture of stone and thatched housing. There is a mixture of single and two-story houses, with most single-story housing on Bannock Road, recently developed with a small estate of bungalows. Terraced housing features in the centre of the village. The most notable house in the village is The Old Rectory, close to the church and was formerly a
bed and breakfast A bed and breakfast (typically shortened to B&B or BnB) is a small lodging establishment that offers overnight accommodation and breakfast. In addition, a B&B sometimes has the hosts living in the house. ''Bed and breakfast'' is also used to ...
.


Church

The Church of St. Mary and St. Radegund is a
Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the State religion#State churches, established List of Christian denominations, Christian church in England and the Crown Dependencies. It is the mother church of the Anglicanism, Anglican Christian tradition, ...
church, located at the south end of the village, adjoining the rectory. It is the only church in the village. Parts of the church date back to different centuries, the earliest being 12th, with later parts added in the 13th, 15th and 16th century. In April 2007, the village's post office was relocated inside the church's bell tower, the first of its kind to actually be located inside the church.


Amenities

The village used to have a wide range of facilities used by local residents. However over the years, many of these have gone. These include two shops, a playgroup, its Methodist church, the forge, a nursing home and youth hostel. The facilities left include: * Post Office – The village used to have its own, family owned post office. This was closed in 2006, however later in 2007 was relocated onto a new premises inside the church. *
Village hall A village hall is a public building in a rural or suburban community which functions as a community centre without a religious affiliation. United Kingdom In the United Kingdom, a village hall is a building which is owned by a local gover ...
– It is used to host a variety of activities, as well as the Whitwell Village Show, which takes place annually each summer. Due to the village's small size and small population of 578, most amenities are located outside the village. Many are located in the slightly larger neighbouring village of Niton, such as a Pharmacy and doctor's surgery. Others are located in the nearby town of Ventnor.


Events


Whitfun

In 2012, Whitwell held a traditional street party in celebration of the
Queen's Diamond Jubilee Queen's Diamond Jubilee may refer to: * Diamond Jubilee of Queen Victoria in 1897 * Diamond Jubilee of Elizabeth II in 2012 {{Short pages monitor