| Greywell | ||||||||||
| Greywell may be the smallest parish in the
Basingstoke district but it contains many buildings that are classed as
of special interest including the 13th century church of St Mary with
its Norman Chancel and north door, the Malt House and its oversailing
upper storey that is stood on curved brackets and Greywell Mill which is
an old flour mill that is said to have been working since around 1935, The villages lies in the north of the county on the west bank of the River Whitewater and has a charming character all of its own, which has been recognised by much of the village being designated a conservation area. Running through the parish is The Basingstoke Canal and this has mostly been restored by groups of volunteers and here can be found the Greywell Tunnel. Greywell Manor was acquired by the first Lord Dorchester who was the first Governor General of Canada in 1786 and it has stayed in that family ever since. The local people believe that a large mound of earth on the opposite side of The Street was the old manor house.
Built for just 120 pupils the village school at the end of the 19th century was overcrowded and a new building had to be constructed further up the road, but with cutbacks and people moving the school eventually closed down in 1935 and both the school and the village hall are now private dwellings though they have both kept the original bell towers. The life and soul of most villages these days can be found in the village pub and Greywell is no exception, but The Royal Oak closed in the mid 50s and also became a private residence. But there is still one watering hole so not all is lost here, The Fox and Goose. There is block of cottages in the village that has the unusual name of The Barracks, and it is said that thre was a lot of activity here during the Civil War and this name may come from that period.
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