Whitchurch Town Council Whitchurch Town Seal "Sigal Magn Villae et Burghi de Whitchurch"

Distinctive Character

Whitchurch is a town of about 4,500 souls who live in tight, small, urban settlement. Most of the centre of the town is included in a conservation area to preserve its special character and fine old buildings like the church of All Hallows, the Vicarage and granary, the Baptist Church, the Town Hall, the White Hart Inn, the Silk Mill and many, many more.

Many of the townsfolk are members of Hampshire families that have lived in Whitchurch for generations. They help create a sense of pride, continuity and community. There are numerous clubs and societies that further help to bring people together. Newcomers and tourists are made welcome with old-fashioned good neighbourliness.

Lord Denning (1899-1999), former Master of the Rolls and one of England greatest judges, was born and lived much of his life in Whitchurch. He died in March 1999, less than two months after his 100th birthday.

The Sports and Social Club, the History Society, the Whitchurch Amateur Dramatic Society, and Scouting are just some examples of the many organisations that thrive in the town. The Sports and Social Club has a particularly impressive indoor bowls facility. There is a Church of England primary school for children up the age of 11 and a secondary school for older children, Testbourne Community School. As well as the Church of England (Anglican/Episcapalian) at All Hallows, there is the Baptist Church in Newbury Street, the Methodist and Salvation Army in Winchester Street and the new Catholic Church in Bell Street.

Perhaps a legacy of the stagecoach era is the incredible number of public houses. London Road has the Prince Regent and the Red House, Andover Road the King's Arms, Winchester Street the Harvest Home, there is a bar at the Tesbourne Community Centre and one in the Sports and Social Club, Bell Street has the Bell and Old Brewery, Newbury Street the White Hart. The Railway Arms stands next to the railway station in the north of the town. Good and reasonably priced food is served in the public houses.

Whitchurch is not a museum or a place frozen in the past. It is a living and working community. Some people travel to work in London or other big cities like Reading, which is 25 miles away as the crow flies, but there are engineering and printing factories on the Ardglen Industrial Estate in Whitchurch. Within easy reach of the town centre there is a lavender farm, a complex producing and distributing watercress and salad products across the whole of the United Kingdom and a vineyard. There are a variety of independent shops and offices offering a range of goods ans a friendly, helpful service, not always available from larger, more impersonal business outlets. Our dispensing chemist is reputed to be the second oldest in England.

Whitchurch Town Council administers a Business Forum, which meets for lunch three times a year. Local businesses - offices, shops and factories, are encouraged to represent. Those attending, meet and eat together, whilst listening to a diverse range of invited speakers, or simply discuss business interests/problems particular to this Town.

Other services and features include a public lending library, a doctor's practice with three resident doctors and support nursing staff, a dentist, a fire and an ambulance station, local and regional police stations, a branch of Newbury Building Society. The Town Hall, in the centre of Whitchurch, houses the Town Council Chamber, Clerk's Office and Local Information Point, and a Branch Bank (HSBC).

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For more information on Whitchurch Town Council or its services please contact Catherine Burt, Clerk to the Council, Whitchurch Town Council, The Town Hall, Newbury Street, Whitchurch, Hants, RG28 7DW, E-mail: whitchurchtowncouncil@whitchurch.hants.gov.uk

Comments or feedback on this web site should be sent to Whitchurch Town Council, whitchurchtowncouncil@whitchurch.hants.gov.uk

This page last updated on 22 October 2004

© Copyright Whitchurch Town Council 1998