Child Okeford & Iwerne Minster

Child Okeford and Iwerne Minster are neighbouring villages in north Dorset, set where the chalk of Cranborne Chase meets the clay of the Blackmore Vale. Child Okeford sits close to Hambledon Hill and its Iron Age earthworks, with a compact street pattern and a parish church near the village centre. Iwerne Minster lies along the course of the River Iwerne, the village name reflecting the stream that runs through the valley, and retains a village green and a medieval church tower.

The surrounding landscape is farmed: arable fields, pasture, hedgerows and small copses, crossed by public footpaths and bridleways that link valley bottoms to the ridge tops. Local community life centres on the village halls, church events and village pubs, while volunteer groups manage commons, lanes and veteran trees. Minor roads connect the two villages with nearby market towns, and the mix of river valley and chalk down creates a clear contrast in field patterns and flora within a short distance.