Chettle

Chettle is a small village and civil parish in the county of Dorset in southern England. It lies 6 miles (10 kilometres) northeast of Blandford Forum.[2] It is sited at the head of a gently sloping valley on the dip slope of the chalk formation called Cranborne Chase. The A354 trunk road crosses the valley about 1 km to the south. In 2013 the estimated population of the civil parish was 90.[1]

For people named Chettle, see Chettle (surname).

Chettle

Chettle parish church
Chettle
Location within Dorset
Population90 [1]
OS grid referenceST952134
Civil parish
  • Chettle
District
Shire county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townBLANDFORD FORUM
Postcode districtDT11
Dialling code01258
PoliceDorset
FireDorset and Wiltshire
AmbulanceSouth Western
UK Parliament

A 2008 report indicated that the entire village was owned by the Bourke family and operated in the mode of "benevolent feudalism". A news item from 2015 confirmed the ownership and provided the following update about the community:[3]

The tiny hamlet, with its hotel, manor house, 40 cottages, farms and lumber yard has belonged to the Bourke family for more than 400 years, in a benign throwback to feudal times.

Chettle House, the village manor, is a red brick Baroque mansion designed by Thomas Archer, a pupil of Vanbrugh, and built by the Bastard brothers of Blandford Forum during the reign of Queen Anne.[4][5] Pevsner called it "the plum among Dorset houses of the early 18th century, and even nationally outstanding as a specimen of English Baroque".[6][7] Two rounded ends were added to the house in 1912.[4]

Chettle House, 2009

From the 1950s to 2015 the house was a series of flats. After 2015, extensive renovations were completed by new owners; the house and gardens were closed to the public.[8][9]

A book about Chettle, "Enduring Village", was published in August, 2008.[10]

Notes
  1. "Parish Population Data". Dorset County Council. 20 January 2015. Retrieved 20 January 2015.
  2. Chettle village website Archived October 1, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
  3. "It has no crime, full employment, cheap housing... and is owned by the lord of the manor. So is this the perfect English village?". 6 August 2008. Retrieved 2 December 2020.
  4. Gant, R., Dorset Villages, Hale, 1980, p40
  5. "Chettle House". Archived from the original on 8 June 2007. Retrieved 26 July 2007.
  6. "Country houses sold in 2015". Country Life. 30 December 2015. Retrieved 29 April 2018.
  7. Jack O'Sullivan (8 August 1998). "Outdoors: The thrill of the Chase". independent.co.uk. Retrieved 8 July 2014.
  9. "Dorset a bird's eye view Chettle House". Dorset Life. 3 March 2010. Retrieved 2 December 2020.
  10. Village That Became a Family Affair, Daily Telegraph

Media related to Chettle at Wikimedia Commons


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