The Hangers lie to the north of Petersfield, and the name is apparently exclusive to Hampshire, referring to the beech woods which seem to hang from the hillside. Selborne is without doubt the most famous, but others are similarly beautiful, and the whole ridge from Selborne to Steep is a fine example of woodland beauty, particularly lovely in spring and quite majestic in autumn. Many visitors are drawn to Selborne through its association with Gilbert White, the eighteenth century Curate whose Natural History has remained in print for more than two hundred years. But hidden among a warren of secret footpaths and sunken lanes are other delights, and other literary associations, which are often overlooked.

After the famous zig-zag at Selborne, the best known footpath is up the Shoulder of Mutton, near Steep. Here a stone was erected in 1937 commemorating the poet Edward Thomas, who was killed at the Battle of Arras in 1917. He lived in Steep, and the surrounding countryside inspired many of his finest poems. The view south along the Downs from the stone is breathtaking on a clear evening, stretching from Butser right away to Cissbury Ring, north of Worthing.

Another luminary who travelled this way was William Cobbett, who visited Hawkley on horseback in November 1822. He published a description of his journey in his Rural Rides eight years later: “We came, all in a moment, to the very edge of the hanger! Never, in all my life, was I so surprised and delighted! I pulled up my horse, and sat and looked; and it was like looking from the top of a castle down into the sea.” His book, too, is still on the shelves.

Hidden among the hills there are remote, lost villages: Colemore, Priors Dean and Newton Valence. The first two were separate parishes until 1932, but have always been closely associated, both manors having been granted to Southwick Priory at the turn of end of the 12th century.

After the Reformation Henry VIII gave them to his wives, Anne of Cleves and Katherine Howard, subsequently passing to the Tichbourne and Compton families, whose memorials remain in Priors Dean Church, which is unfortunately locked. Colemore Church, dating from the end of the 12th century, has always had a turbulent history, being virtually ruinous on several occasions yet always being repaired. It is now redundant and in the care of the Churches Conservation Trust. A 17th century Rector, Rev. John Greaves, had three remarkable sons: John, born in 1602, became a celebrated mathematician, Edward was physician to King Charles I and Thomas followed oriental studies and had a distinguished career at Oxford.

The village of Priors Dean consists of little but the delightful little church - alas, always locked nowadays - and the mellow old brick manor house immediately opposite. A mile to the north stands Goleigh Farm, dating from the 15th century or perhaps earlier, the ground floor built of ironstone and the upper storey of timber, with ironstone and plaster filling.

Yet for all its remoteness, Priors Dean is known far and wide for the White Horse, the celebrated Pub with No Name. The frame of the inn sign, standing beside the road from Petersfield to Alton, has been empty from time immemorial, yet visitors find their way to the pub in droves. Here, in what was at one time a smithy beside the old coach road from Midhurst to the Midlands, we come across the ghost of Edward Thomas once again, for this isolated inn was the subject of his poem Up in the Wind.

A little to the north lies the village of Newton Valance, recorded in the Domesday Book as Newentstone (Newton). In 1249 Henry III granted the manor to his half-brother, William de Valence, thus giving the village its modern name. The old church, beautifully positioned beside the manor House, has been heavily restored, but is keeps its ancient yew, a feature it has in common with Priors Dean and formerly with Selborne.

Yews have had a special significance since pre-Christian times, keeping their leaves in winter symbolizing survival and the continuity of life, so they were often grown on pagan sites on which Christian churches were later erected. Saint Patrick and Saint Columba venerated the yew, and fifth and sixth century plantings may well have resulted in many of the old churchyard yews found today. Priors Dean and Newton Valance are famous examples, and Selborne was perhaps the best known of all until it was blown down by the gale of January 25th 1990. The Hangers may be less glamorous than the Downs, but they are hugely rewarding to those prepared to search for their secrets.

Tom Muckley, November 2004

This article was originally published by the Petersfield Post

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