Chettle

Chettle is a small village and civil parish in the county of Dorset in southern England.

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".

After 2015, extensive renovations were completed by new owners; the house and gardens were closed to the public.

Chettle House, 2009