Selborne
Selborne is most famous for being the home of the 18th Century literary naturalist Gilbert White (1720-1793). He is credited with being the first ever ecologist or environmentalist, and his book ‘The Natural History and Antiquities of Selborne’, hasn’t been out of print in over 200 years making it one of the most widely published works in the English language.
Rev. White was born at the vicarage in Selborne in 1720 when his grandfather (also named Gilbert White) was Vicar of Selborne. His parents moved away but then settled back in the village again ten years later in a house now known as ‘The Wakes’ almost opposite the church. He lived here for the rest of his life, working as a curate serving at several nearby villages.
His old home is today a museum to his life and work, and also features the Oates Museum and family archive. CaptainLawrence Oates died on Robert Falcon Scott’s ill-fated expedition to Antarctica in the early twentieth century, and his uncle Frank Oates was an explorer and naturalist, who mounted expeditions in the late 19th century into Central America and Africa.
The village also features the historic Church of St. Mary’s, on the site of the original Saxon church. There was an Augustan Priory from 1233 until 1486 a mile to the east of the church by the Oakhanger Streams. The National Trust manages Selborne Common, the Hanger, Church Meadow and the Long and Short Lythes (Anglo-Saxon for steep slope). One of Selborne’s most popular features is the Zig-Zag path up the Hanger instigated by Gilbert White and his brother, John, in 1753.
Selborne Parish Council website (opens in new window)
