New boards reveal Whitehill’s fascinating history

Some of the fascinating history of Whitehill has been encapsulated on two information boards, recently installed on the Green Loop. 

The boards, placed near Whitehill Village Hall, describe the ancient beginnings of the barrows, or burial mounds, that can be seen in the area. 

Social history such as landowners and local events are also revealed to walkers and visitors. 

Created and instigated by the Woolmer Forest Heritage Society the boards were installed by the Deadwater Valley Trust and paid for through a £1,120 grant from former Hampshire County Councillor Adam Carew. 

They have been installed on the Green Loop, a network of footways and cycle paths connecting key destinations in and around Whitehill & Bordon. 

Dr Chris Wain, Chair of the Woolmer Forest Heritage Society, said: “The Woolmer Forest Heritage Society has unveiled information boards in Bordon Inclosure, in Hogmoor Inclosure and another one on Broxhead Common overlooking the original four barracks.  

“The society has now unveiled two more boards here at Whitehill Village Hall to tell the story of Bronze Age Barrows and an Inclosure Lodge. With all the new homes in the town, the society hopes these boards will start to give the incoming residents a sense of place with our rich heritage in the area." 

Cllr Adam Carew, the current chairman of East Hampshire District Council, said: “The two grassy mounds outside Whitehill Village Hall are actually high status Bronze Age burial sites called round barrows or tumuli and are over 4,000 years old. There may well be additional cremation burials inserted at a later date or even between the barrows.  We also have the footings of a cottage that was built on the site of a Mediaeval Hunting Lodge in Woolmer Forest. 

"The interpretation boards are not only a celebration of Whitehill’s history and sense of place but are part of a package of measures to help protect the barrows including double yellow lines from EHDC and double curbing from Hampshire County Council as well as the new section of our town’s Green Loop for walking and cycling."

The information boards were formally unveiled on Wednesday 1 December 2021 to an audience of councillors, heritage society trustees, and the Deadwater Valley Trust’s Wednesday Walkers.