We live in idyllic UK town with one of the rudest names – a TV star found it so funny they became our mayor | The Sun
DESPITE gaining a respected place on the Rude Map of Britain, residents of Wetwang don’t know what all the fuss is about – and are more concerned the village doesn’t have a local shop.
While some Wetwangers are tremendously proud of their naughty accolade, there are those that don’t get why people think it’s a filthy word, and are amazed at the fascination of outsiders.
The signs going in and out of the village in the Yorkshire Wolds have had to be raised in height to stop bemused tourists nicking them.
Instead they now pose beside them, pointing and laughing in disbelief before posting their pics on social media.
Jason Darling, 52, has lived in the village with partner Sharn Jackson, 49, since 2016, after leaving his post with the Royal Logistics Corps in Germany to come to North Yorkshire. Sharn runs local dog grooming business Jacko’s Fluff Your Pups.
Jason told The Sun when we visited: “People were always nicking the sign. One day there was Ainsley Harriet stickers on there and we had no idea why.
“We just moved here because we needed somewhere to live to move from Germany, we just picked it out and moved here.
"We did think it was an unusual name but had no idea about all the fuss.
“In Germany there were many unusually named places so we didn’t bat an eyelid. It is a great place to live, it is nice and quiet.”
Apart from its sign, the most popular Wetwang attraction is the fish and chip shop – Deep Blue – which has a constant queue outside.
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15Brother and sister Hubert, 19, and Saffron Nickolls, 21, have recently moved from the village to nearby Beverley but come back daily for their job at the chippy.
Saffron said: “Everyone takes the Mick when you say you live here, but we don’t mind.
"I didn’t even realise it was rude until I got older. Even now I think it’s just a funny word rather than something rude."
The first rude definition of the unusual place name was used in a book called The Meaning of Liff – a dictionary of “things there aren’t words for yet”, using existing place names as the entry words.
It was written by Douglas Adams and John Lloyd, of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy fame, and says Wetwang means wet penis.
I didn’t even realise it was rude until I got older. Even now I think it’s just a funny word rather than something rude
In reality, Wetwang could mean one of two possibilities – either "field for the trial of a legal action" or just "wet field".
The village gained notoriety when local newsreader and Countdown host Richard Whiteley became honorary mayor from 1998 until his death in 2005, after joking about how nice it would be to be mayor of a village with such an amusing name.
When asked about the fascination with its moniker, Anthony Granville Fall, chairman of the Wetwang Parish Council, said: “There was an elderly lady who climbed up onto the sign and was posing like a model while her husband took a photograph of her.
“It doesn’t cause too much of a problem, but they do park in the layby to get the shot.”
Meanwhile one local, who did not wish to be named, likes to get in on the fun and often asks people: “How wet is your wanger?” if anybody laughs at the name.
Wetwang's picturesque main high street is lined with 19th-century homes, and there's a pretty duck pond – called Bottom Pond.
The town boasts a village hall, which doubles as a Post Office on a Tuesday, and a local pub, the Victoria Inn. It also has a cricket club, a garage, a doctor’s surgery, a church and an annual scarecrow festival.
But residents moan not very much happens here – apart from it being on the route taking day trippers and staycationers from West Yorkshire to the east coast.
Saffron said: “We’ve lived here since we were six and eight so we’re used to it. It is a really lovely village with a fab fish and chip shop, but not so great when you’re growing up.
"There is only one bus stop and not a good bus service, you have to rely on people for lifts to go anywhere.
“We couldn’t get into the local primary school so had to travel to nearby Driffield. The high school is there too.
“The worst thing is there is no local shop so you can’t even nip out for a loaf of bread. It was brilliant when I learnt to drive a car and got some freedom.”
Wetwang newcomer Paul Banks, 69, has only been in the village for six weeks, having moved from Hull into a council house with his dog, Jasper.
But he is finding the move from city to village hard. He said: “There is nothing to do here, there isn’t even a local shop. Although Jasper likes it, he’s having a great time.”
Frank Wilson, a father-of-three who is on the parish council and has lived in the village for 48 years, said: “I always thought the name was amusing rather than rude. I suppose it’s only become rude in the past 20 years or so.
“It’s great because wherever you go in the world, if you say you’re from Wetwang, everyone has heard of it.
“My daughter lives next door and so I also get to share this lovely community life with my grandchildren.
"It is an idyllic place to live, over the years we’ve had chickens, goats and sheep.”
Retired barrister Anthony Granville Fall, who has been chairman of the council for three months, is a proud Wetwanger.
The 70-year-old grandfather-of-two, who has emphysema, said: “There are a lot of good people in Wetwang. I am proud of our village – not just because of its name, but the fish shop brings people from far and wide. We are well known for that.
“We are just 25 minutes away from the coast and people love to stop by on their way to Bridlington.
“It was wonderful when we had Richard Whiteley as our mayor here, we had a lot of respect for him and he loved his title. It was great for the village.
“There is currently a planning application going through for a further 80 houses to be built here, so that will increase our population from 750 to 1000.
"It is to be hoped we will get a shop at that point. There used to be a shop but it went out of business a few years ago.
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"Our high street is a bit of an awkward spot because there’s not many places to park.
“There is a shop in Driffield, 10 minutes away, or a garage in Fridaythorpe, which is just three minutes away, so we do get by.”
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