| Static Image Name: | Chettle Church - geograph.org.uk - 223425.jpg |
| Static Image Caption: | Chettle parish church |
| Country: | England |
| Coordinates: | 50.9203°N -2.0692°W |
| Map Type: | Dorset |
| Official Name: | Chettle |
| Population: | 90 |
| Population Ref: | [1] |
| Civil Parish: | Chettle |
| Shire District: | North Dorset |
| Shire County: | Dorset |
| Region: | South West England |
| Constituency Westminster: | North Dorset |
| Os Grid Reference: | ST952134 |
| Post Town: | BLANDFORD FORUM |
| Postcode Area: | DT |
| Postcode District: | DT11 |
| Dial Code: | 01258 |
Chettle is a small village and civil parish in the county of Dorset in southern England. It lies 60NaN0 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]
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] 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]