West Hanney lies 2 miles east of its neighbour, East Hanney, and about 4 miles north of Wantage. Just a field separates East and West Hanney and the villages are often referred to as ´The Hanneys´.

West and East Hanney are often referred to as ´The Hanneys´, and the two villages are very close with only one field separating them. The Hanneys were built in pre Norman times on a gravel bed in the Vale of the White Horse. Letcombe brook runs through the villages. The brook used to power water mills, the last of which closed around 1920. One of The Hanneys claims to fame is to have been the home of the oldest ever recorded English woman, Elizabeth Bowles, who died in 1718 aged 124.

The deserted medieval village of North Denchworth is on the western boundary of the village. The site of the old manor is thought to be at Grange Farm and a moat near the Childrey Brook may have enclosed the medieval house.

The Church of St James the Great dates back to approximately 1160.