Chilworth is a village in Hampshire, UK, very close to the city ofSouthampton. Good travel connections and restricted development have led to the village becoming particularly affluent. The village was referred to as Celeworda in the Domesday book, and is now in two parts: modern Chilworth lying along the straight 'new' stretch of the Southampton to Romsey road, and old Chilworth built around the 'old' road.
Chilworth Old Village
Chilworth Old Village, at the west end, consists of former farm workers' thatched cottages interspersed with modern houses and bungalows built in the 1950s. The Anglican Church of St Denys, which lies on the edge of the Old Village, was rebuilt in 1812 and is noted for its old bells which date from about the year 1200. Chilworth Old Village was designated a conservation area on 1 November 1989. Most of the buildings from the 16th century are situated in the Chilworth Old Village Conservation Area. The exceptions are Manor Farm and the Beehives, the latter of which are the lodges to Chilworth Manor Hotel.
There is a small public house on the main road through the village called The Chilworth Arms. The original name of the pub, 'The Clump' comes from an old earthwork. Chilworth has a village hall and football field near the pub and there is a kennel and cattery in Chilworth Common, one of the local wooded areas. The thatched post office building was originally built as a kennel for the local hounds before being handed over to the village in 1900. Now both the Post Office and the convenience store are closed. Since the early 1960s, there has been a Village Hall, situated on the edge of the Village Green behind what is now the Chilworth Arms. Administered by a charitable trust, the Hall is available to the residents of Chilworth and the immediately surrounding vicinity, for meetings, events and many other forms of recreation and leisure-time occupation, with the object of generating and improving a local community spirit. The Hall has a microsite on where more details may be found, including availability and how to book.
Chilworth Manor
Chilworth Manor was a mansion house on the Chilworth Estate. John Willis Fleming rebuilt the house in 1904. The Flemings sold Chilworth Manor in 1947. In 1967 it was sold by Catherine Ann Young, wife of British entrepreneur Jock Young, to Southampton University and converted into a hall of residence. In 1990 it was developed into a conference and training centre. In 2001, AHM, a specialist management company, acquired the property. It is now a 97 bedroom hotel, conference and event venue run by Best Western.
