The Woolpack is a 17th Century building situated between Ringwood and Christchurch in the quiet village of Sopley, about five miles from the famous Ringwood Brewery. It was originally a private house, and became an inn in 1725. The conservatory dining area was originally built in 1988; then later extended.
Sopley was a centre of smuggling. The smugglers boats were heaved up from the River Avon to the Woolpack, where pack horses were waiting to take the goods to the New Forest and onward to Winchester and London.
The name probably originated because the vicar, the Rev. James Willis, was a keen sheep farmer and took a major part in distributing his Merino sheep, of which he had over a thousand throughout the district. These are a small, short-woolled breed, prized for their fine wool.
The recent fire
Pictures:
Sopley was a centre of smuggling. The smugglers boats were heaved up from the River Avon to the Woolpack, where pack horses were waiting to take the goods to the New Forest and onward to Winchester and London.
The name probably originated because the vicar, the Rev. James Willis, was a keen sheep farmer and took a major part in distributing his Merino sheep, of which he had over a thousand throughout the district. These are a small, short-woolled breed, prized for their fine wool.
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Account from local historianThe recent fire
Pictures:
