Hooke, Dorset

{{Short description|Village and civil parish in Dorset, England}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2019}}

{{Infobox UK place

| static_image_name = Hooke Court - geograph.org.uk - 479024.jpg

| static_image_caption = Hooke Court

| country = England

| coordinates = {{coord|50.7988|-2.6604|display=inline,title}}

| map_type = Dorset

| official_name = Hooke

| population = 157

| population_ref = {{cite web|url=http://www.neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/LeadKeyFigures.do?a=7&b=11124755&c=Hooke&d=16&e=62&g=6418500&i=1001x1003x1032x1004&m=0&r=1&s=1392541804058&enc=1|publisher=Office for National Statistics|accessdate=16 February 2014|work=Neighbourhood Statistics|title=Area: Hooke (Parish), Key Figures for 2011 Census: Key Statistics}}

| unitary_england= Dorset

| lieutenancy_england= Dorset

| post_town = Beaminster

| postcode_area = DT

| postcode_district = DT8

| constituency_westminster = West Dorset

| region = South West England

| os_grid_reference = ST537001

| dial_code = 01308

}}

Hooke is a small village and civil parish in the county of Dorset in southern England, situated about {{convert|7|mi|km}} northeast of the town of Bridport. It is sited in the valley of the short River Hooke, a tributary of the River Frome, amongst the chalk hills of the Dorset Downs. In the 2011 census the parish had a population of 157.

The name comes from the Old English Hoc meaning the hook or angle and referring to the land in a river bend. The spelling has changed over the years, the Doomsday Book recorded it as Lahoc and later variants include Hok (1229), La Hoke (1244) and Houc (1268).{{Cite book |last=Mills |first=A.D. |title=Dorset Place-Names their Origins and Meanings |publisher=Roy Gasson Associates |year=1986 |location=Wimborne Dorset |pages=89}}

Rampisham Down, the hill immediately northeast of the village, is the site of a transmitter station operated by VT Communications, broadcasting long-range radio signals for clients including BBC World Service. The outskirts of the village are home to Hooke Court and its surrounding parklands. Originally built in 1407 by Humphrey Stafford, the Court was extended in 1609 by the Marquis of Winchester.{{cite book|title=West Dorset, Holiday and Tourist Guide|publisher=West Dorset District Council|page=10|year=c. 1983}}

To the southwest of the village are Warren Hill and the woods of Hooke Park on its western flanks.Ordnance Survey Landranger 1:50,000 series