the Test Valley
Nearby, Danebury Hillfort is one of the most extensively studied hill forts in Europe. Evidence found suggests that the fort was built 2500 years ago and occupied for nearly 500 years until the arrival of the Romans. You can discover more and see some of the finds at the Museum of the Iron Age in Andover. During the Roman period hillforts fell out of use with Romano-British people preferring to live in villas surrounded by their own farming estate.
Danebury may have been used again briefly during the Dark Ages (5th/6th centuries) as there is evidence that the outer defensive earthworks were rebuilt.
With the advancing Romans came wines. It is fitting that not far from the fort you will find Danebury Vineyard in a delightful country setting, four miles from Stockbridge. Here, the family owners produce both white and sparkling wines, characterised by their clean, crisp, fruity flavour.
The picturesque market town of Andover with its attractive high street and narrow walk ways lies a short drive north of Danebury. Most of the town’s buildings are from the 18th century when it was an important stop over destination for coaches on their way to London, Southampton and Oxford.
Continuing our journey along the River Test we eventually reach Whitchurch, which means a White Church, so named by the Anglo-Saxons because of its prominent church built of local chalk and flint.
Close to the heart of Jane Austen country, Whitchurch is but a few miles from the village of Steventon, where the illustrious author was born on the 16 December 1775. Steventon was home for Jane throughout her formative years and was where her first novels were written.
In 1712 a Huguenot refugee named Henri de Portal, brought the skill of paper-making to Whitchurch, opening his first mill at ‘Bere Mill’. The clear water of the fast flowing chalk stream was eminently suitable for making crisp quality paper and the industry flourished. Other local industries of the time included flour-milling and the manufacture of silk and textiles.
A fine example of this industrious period isWhitchurch Silk Mill,
a working mill that has been weaving silk since 1815. The mill is not large like the mills of Yorkshire but it is a gem in a romantic landscape and what is more, it is still weaving silk on Victorian machinery.
To visit the Mill is not only to step back into the past and sense the ingenuity of the Industrial Revolution but to discover the immense complexity of producing a silk fabric. Britain’s oldest silk mill is still weaving in its original Georgian building for costume dramas, interiors and fashion.
The Mill sits on the half acre Frog Island in the River Test which is a sparkling chalk stream thronged with trout. It appeals to both men and women with its machinery and fabrics and often during the school holidays there are special workshops for children.
A visit to the individual silk shop is a must and one can relax in the tea room or gardens.
Whitchurch Silk Mill
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The Test Valley covers some 250 square miles of western Hampshire, its rural beauty really speaks for itself and its fabulous wealth of history and heritage is there for the finding.
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