Whitwell is a pretty village that
has some stone and thatch cottages and a 700 year old church set
in a garden that is a riot of colour in the summer season.
It takes its name from the White Well which was a place of
pilgrimage during mediaeval times and the well is still here today
down a track that is opposite the church.
The White Horse Inn is said to be the
oldest pub on the island and has walls that go back to the 15th
century.
You will notice a few handsome iron
pillars set at regular intervals throughout Whitwell and these are
old water standards provided in 1887 by William Spindler who was a
prominent figure in St Lawrence and he is buried in Whitwell
graveyard.
The church was built in two parts,
the first and the oldest part was build by the de Esturs and
dedicated to their family patron saint. The the owners of Stenbury
Manor built a small chapel on the Southside of the church and this
was dedicated to the Virgin Mary, and until the 16th century the
two buildings were separate then the dividing wall was demolished
making it one building.
Just outside Whitwell is the old
railway tunnel, still in use but now as a mushroom farm.
The
Whitehorse Inn
Photo courtesy
of IOWCAM |
