#whitchurch

Dodington Fountain in Whitchurch, Shropshire, England

And after her, came jolly June arrayed All in green leaves, as he a player were; Yet in his time, he wrought as well as played, That by his plough-irons mote right well appear. Edmund Spenser.

I first came to this place when I did the Sandstone Trail in May 2016 and found it a place to come back to; (1,2) June 2016, (4,8) April 2021 and (6,9) October 2020.

The Llangollen canal (1,2), an arm of the Shropshire Union Canal which came here in 1811, carried agricultural and industrial goods from Shropshire, Cheshire and Wales, but was dealt a blow when the railway came to Whitchuch in 1858. It was shut in 1939 and that seemed to be the end of its story.

But in 1986, the admirable Whitchurch Waterway Trust was set up; they restored the canal and in 2002 Whitchurch Waterways Country Park came into being.

Richard Adams

(May 9th 1920 - Dec. 24th 2016)

Brief Bio:

Richard George Adams was born in Wash Common in Berkshire, England.  As a boy he spent much time walking out over the hills with his father, which cultivated a lifelong love of animals and natural history.  After serving in the Royal Army Service Corps in WWII, he received his Bachelor’s and pursued a career in the British Civil Service.  His novel Watership Down began as a story he told to his daughters on a car trip.  Upon their insistence he wrote it down and published it as a book in 1972.  Watership Down became an instant success, and Adams became a full-time author.  His subsequent works often featured nature and the plight of animals.  He died in 2016 from complications of a blood disorder.

Notable Works:

Watership Down (1972)

Shardik (1974)

The Plague Dogs (1977)

Maia (1984)

Tales from Watership Down (1996)

The Grave:

Adams lived in the village of Whitchurch until his last day, ten miles from his birthplace.  From the roundabout at the center of town, follow Church Street past All Hallows Church.  Whitchurch Cemetery will be on the right.  Adams is buried by the rear entrance.

Whitchurch Cemetery

Church Street, Whitchurch,

Hampshire RG28 7DW

Surrounding Area:

The countryside of Hampshire is the setting of Watership Down, and many of the landmarks in the novel can still be seen today.  Maps are available online that guide the reader through all the local foot paths.  In nearby Freefolk is the Watership Down Inn, where Adams was presented with the Whitchurch Arts Award.  The Bombay Sapphire Distillery is in Laverstoke, and tickets for self-guided tours are available online.  One may take the 86 bus southward to Winchester to visit the grave of Jane Austen.

Further Reading:

The Watership Down Walk

Watership Down article

Watership Down AMV

The Watership Down Inn website

Watership Down Enterprises website

Richard Adams’ first Reddit AMA

Richard Adams’ second Reddit AMA

Bits n’ Bobstones Watership Down website

Bombay Sapphire Distillery website