Whitwell
Whitwell is a pretty village with some stone and thatch cottages and takes its name from the White Well, a place of pilgrimage during mediaeval times. The well can still be seen down a track opposite the church. The pub in Whitwell, The White Horse Inn, claims to be the oldest on the Island with some of its walls dating back to the 15th Century. Throughout the village at regular intervals handsome iron pillars can be seen, these are old water standards provided in 1887 by William Spindler a prominent figure in St Lawrence. His tomb lies in the Whitwell graveyard
There is a lovely walk you can pick up at Whitwell. It starts at Niton through Whitwell passing close to the church then on to Nettlecombe. From here there are many routes you can take branching off to Godshill and Ventnor.
The church at Whitwell was built in two parts, the first and oldest part was built by the de Esturs and dedicated to their family patron saint. Later the owners of Stenbury Manor built a small chapel on the south side of the church dedicated to the Virgin Mary. The two buildings were separate until the 16th Century when the dividing wall was knocked down. Today it is a beautiful little church with its old churchyard walls.
Just outside Whitwell is the old railway tunnel, still in use but now as a mushroom farm.
