Those of you who know my penchant for shopping for homes online and my fondness for Pinterest won’t be surprised that the photo above piqued my interest. What a beautiful house! Of course, I had to learn more – it’s known as Chettle House and it’s in Dorset.
Set in 5 acres of lovely gardens, this charming 1710 Queen Anne manor house was designed by Thomas Archer. An example of English Baroque architecture, Chettle House, the village manor, is a red brick mansion built by the Bastard brothers of Blandford Forum. Yes, their surname was really Bastard. You can r
ead more about them here.
Two rounded ends were added to the house in 1912. One of the highlights of the interior is the elegant Oak Entrance Hall, with its two flights of sweeping oak stairs, lined by fine family portraits, rising separately to meet at the balcony above. Chettle House is a popular venue for weddings, civil ceremonies, photo shoots and filming. Most recently, Chettle House was William Wilberforce’s London home in the film
Amazing Grace about the abolition of the slave trade.
Chettle House is now run as a bed and breakfast and is owned by Fiona and Peter Bourke. As Peter writes on their website “My wife, Fiona, and I are delighted to welcome you to Chettle House. This has been our much loved family home for over 150 years and since we inherited the property in 2002, we have devoted our lives to its restoration and upkeep. We thus take enormous pleasure in sharing it with others.”
The beautiful Chettle Church, whose West Tower dates back to the early 16th century, offers a stunning backdrop to the gardens that surround the house.
The Castleman Hotel, once the dower house for the estate, is run by Bourke’s younger brother, Teddy, and his wife Barbara.
Click here to read a Daily Mail article from 2008 asking whether the village of Chettle (pop. about 90) is the perfect English village.
See the Pinterest links in the right sidebar to see all of Kristine and Victoria’s Pinterest boards.
