Nether Wallop
RETURN

HAMPSHIRE

7 miles south-west of Andover

From the lovely old mill house standing sentinel at the southern edge of Nether Wallop, a winding lane opens up changing vistas of thatched cottages, cob walls of clay and straw, and colourful gardens. Willows are reflected in the bright waters of Wallop Brook. The through road stays on the north bank of the stream, but visitors can cross by a little bridge to examine the best of the cottages. Also south of the brook, on a low, tree-clad hill at the end of a cul-de-sac, is St Andrew’s Church. It is of 11th-century origin, enlarged in the 12th to 15th centuries.

One of the finest features in the church is a 15th-century mural urging Sunday observance, entitled ‘A Warning to Sabbath Breakers’. Christ is depicted bleeding from wounds inflicted by the tools and implements of people who work on Sundays. A whole range of medieval equipment is shown - but not of course the weapon for which Wallop became famous later throughout the cricketing world. Bats made by village craftsmen of the local willow were prized by top players, including W. C. Grace.

North-west from Nether Wallop are its companions, Middle Wallop on the busy Salisbury to Andover road, and Over Wallop. The name Waliop comes from the Anglo-Saxon, and means ‘valley of the stream’. East from Nether Wallop a downiand track leads 2 miles to the remains of an Iron Age fort on Danebury Hill. From there, another track leads to the River Test at Longstock, and on towards another fort at Woolbury Ring, 5 miles from Nether Wallop.

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