Whitchurch is situated on a bank above the River Wye between Ross on Wye and Hereford. The name Whitchurch possibly dates from Saxon times when buildings were generally made with wood, and a stone church would in contrast seem white….therefore, White Church. This eventually became Whitchurch, and is a fairly common name in the British Isles
Ironstone used to be worked in Whitchurch, and there are Limestone quarries still in current use.
There is evidence that the area was settled more than 15000 years ago, in prehistoric times, and excavations have unearthed artifacts from the Ice Age, New Stone Age, Bronze Age and Iron age.
Also of interest is King Arthur’s cave, on Great Doward hill, which was explored in 1870 and it proved to have been the lair of hyenas, with many teeth and bones being uncovered, including those of mammoth, woolly rhinoceros, lions etc. Legend has it that this cave was once used as a hiding place by King Arthur, hence its name.