Weyhill is a village, 2.5 miles (3.8 km) west ofAndover, Hampshire. It sits within thecivil parish ofPenton Grafton, which includes the village of the same name. The village is famous for having amedieval fair and then later a livestock fair, with up to 100,000 sheep a day being auctioned.[2][3][4] The fair owed its existence to Weyhill being positioned on 8ancient trackways, including theHarrow Way.
The Church of St Michael and all the Angels dates back in part to the Norman period, with a 16th-century nave. It is on the site of an earlier Saxon church, itself possibly a successor to a pagan temple in Roman times, being close to the Roman road. It is aGrade II* listed building[5]
The fair has been held on the site since the 11th century, with the first written records from 1225.[2][6] By the mid-19th century the fair had stopped attracting large crowds, as communications and business changed, reducing the variety of items for sale. The last fair happened in 1957.[3][4] The parish council bought the fairground after it fell into disrepair and converted it into small independent craft studios and shops in 2005.[4]
Weyhill railway station was opened on 1 May 1882, byThe Swindon, Marlborough and Andover Railway, and closed on 11 September 1961.[7] The village is just north of theA303 dual carriageway. TheA342 Andover to Devizes road runs through the town.
Nearby attractions areThruxton aerodrome and motor racing circuit to the west and theHawk Conservancy Trust just south of the A303.
The historic Weyhill fairground was the site used byThomas Hardy in his bookThe Mayor of Casterbridge where Michael Henchard sells his wife. Hardy called it Weydon Priors.[2]
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