Keywords: Locked.
Late Norman doorway in the porch. Mostly 15th century with 18th century alterations.
"Belchalwell does not appear in the Domesday Survey of 1086 as such, lending weight to the theory that the name is an amalgamation of that of two separate manors, known by the 13th century as Belle and Chaldwelle. The latter is easy to interpret, coming from the Anglo-Saxon for ‘cool water or spring’. ‘Belle’ enjoys a range of much more exotic explanations, from a French compliment to its beauty in reference to the magnificent views from Bell hill, to derivation from the name of the hill itself, to a corruption of Beltaine, the old Celtic May-day festival, celebrated by kindling great fires atop beacon hills, of which Bell hill was probably one." <a href="http://www.opcdorset.org/BelchalwellFiles/Belchalwell.htm" rel="nofollow">www.opcdorset.org/BelchalwellFiles/Belchalwell.htm</a> |