Greywell is a small village and civil parish in Hampshire

Hampshire

Hampshire is a county on the southern coast of England in the United Kingdom. The county town of Hampshire is Winchester, a historic cathedral city that was once the capital of England. Hampshire is notable for housing the original birthplaces of the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force...

, England

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

.

Greywell village is a past winner of the Best Kept Village in Hampshire competition and a recent winner of Best Small Village in Hampshire. The Basingstoke Canal

Basingstoke Canal

The Basingstoke Canal is a British Canal, completed in 1794, built to connect Basingstoke with the River Thames at Weybridge via the Wey Navigation....

 runs underneath part of the village through the 1.1 km long Greywell Tunnel

Greywell Tunnel

The Greywell Tunnel is a 0.6 hectare biological Site of Special Scientific Interest in Hampshire, England, notified in 1985. When opened in 1794 it was the longest tunnel on the Basingstoke Canal. It was closed due to a roof fall in 1932.-History:...

 which is now no longer navigable due to a collapse which occurred in 1932. The eastern portal in Greywell village is the largest winter bat roost in the country, and the second largest colony of Natterer's bat

Natterer's bat

Natterer's bat is a European bat with pale wings. It has brown fur, also seen on the leg wing membrane, tending to white on its underside...

 in Europe. The canal originally ran from Basingstoke

Basingstoke

Basingstoke is a town in northeast Hampshire, in south central England. It lies across a valley at the source of the River Loddon. It is southwest of London, northeast of Southampton, southwest of Reading and northeast of the county town, Winchester. In 2008 it had an estimated population of...

 to join the Wey Navigation near Pyrford

Pyrford

Pyrford is an English village that for centuries had historical links with the monastery of Westminster, in whose possession it remained between the Norman Conquest and the Dissolution of the Monasteries nearly five hundred years later. It is thirty miles by road from central London and situated...

. However the canal is derelict towards Basingstoke and only starts being navigable a mile or so to the east of Greywell tunnel and then runs towards North Warnborough

North Warnborough

North Warnborough is a small village situated in North East Hampshire. Its neighbouring villages are Odiham, Hook and Winchfield and the current representative of Parliament is the Rt. Hon. James Arbuthnot...

, passing the ruins of King John's castle. A short section of the canal from the western tunnel portal exists and is a nature reserve and the original towpath can be walked.

The upper reaches of the River Whitewater

River Whitewater

The River Whitewater rises at springs near Bidden Grange Farm between Upton Grey and Greywell. It flows northeast through Hampshire and is a tributary of the River Blackwater near Swallowfield. Its headwaters flow over chalk and there is little pollution making the River Whitewater rich in wildlife...

 also run through the village.

Greywell is home to two Sites of Special Scientific Interest, with the Greywell Tunnel

Greywell Tunnel

The Greywell Tunnel is a 0.6 hectare biological Site of Special Scientific Interest in Hampshire, England, notified in 1985. When opened in 1794 it was the longest tunnel on the Basingstoke Canal. It was closed due to a roof fall in 1932.-History:...

 and its bat colony, and Greywell Moors, which lies around the River Whitewater.

Greywell is on the other side of the M3 from Hook. It is about two miles from Odiham

Odiham

Odiham is a historic village and large civil parish in the Hart district of Hampshire, England. It is twinned with Sourdeval in the Manche Department of France. The current population is 4,406. The parish contains an acreage of 7,354 acres with 50 acres of land covered with water. The nearest...

. The area is extremely popular with walkers and cyclists.

At the centre of the village is the Fox and Goose public house.

Greywell is within the Anglican United Parish which is served by St Swithuns Nately Scures

St Swithuns Nately Scures

St Swithun's Church, Nately Scures is the smallest ancient Church of England parish church in the English county of Hampshire. Newnham and Nately Scures are part of the Anglican United Parish which includes: Greywell, Mapledurwell and Up Nately, which in turn are covenanted with a further seven...

church, and St Mary's church is in the village itself.

External links

• Hampshire Treasures: Volume 3 (Hart and Rushmoor) Page 61 - Greywell Group A - Natural Features and Group B - Archaeological Sites and Remains
• Hampshire Treasures: Volume 3 (Hart and Rushmoor) Page 62 - Greywell Group D - Buildings, Monuments and Engineering Works
• Hampshire Treasures: Volume 3 (Hart and Rushmoor) Page 63 - Greywell Group D - Buildings, Monuments and Engineering Works
• Hampshire Treasures: Volume 3 (Hart and Rushmoor) Page 64 - Greywell Group D - Buildings, Monuments and Engineering Works
• Hampshire Treasures: Volume 3 (Hart and Rushmoor) Page 65 - Greywell Group E - Street Patterns, Street Furniture and Open Spaces and Group F - Historical or Literary Associations
• Stained Glass Windows at St. Mary, Greywell, Hampshire