Hardy’s Cottage
Few authors have such strong associations with the natural and cultural heritage of their local area as Thomas Hardy. This cottage, where Hardy was born in 1840, was built of cob and thatch by his grandfather and has been little altered since the family left. Despite training as an architect, writing was Hardy’s first love, and it was from here that he wrote several of his early short stories, poetry and novels including ‘Under the Greenwood Tree’ and ‘Far from the Madding Crowd’.
Walk: Take a walk through the woodland and heathland surrounding the cottage, just as Hardy once did himself.
Explore: Explore the landscape which provided inspiration for Hardy’s work.
Discover: Discover many great activities and beautiful walks.
Hearty Fact
When Hardy was dying, the decision was made to bury his heart in his first wife’s grave and his body in London. He died at home and his heart was immediately extracted from his cadaver, wrapped in a towel and placed in a biscuit tin. Edmund Gosse described it as “medieval butchery”.
Hardy’s Study & the Writers’ Gallery – Dorset County Museum, Dorchester
A Writer’s Dorset celebrates Thomas Hardy’s achievement and tells the story of his life and work. It uncovers the landscape of his mind, which became the part-real, part imaginary Wessex of his books – their settings inseparable from the places that inspired them.
Far From The Madding Crowd
See the beautiful Dorset landscape on the big screen this Spring when Far From The Madding Crowd, one of Hardy’s most successful novels, comes to cinemas nationwide on 1st May.
First adapted for film in 2015, the current version -by Fox Searchlight Pictures – is the 5th film of the book. The film stars Carey Mulligan as the iconic leading lady Bathsheba Everdene.
The film stars Carey Mulligan as the iconic leading lady Bathsheba Everdene. Watch the trailer, and enter our competition to win Premier Cottages vouchers and private screening tickets here: Now Closed
On The Edge!
Ever wondered where the term “cliffhanger” came from? Well, it is considered to have originated from Hardy’s novel, ‘A Pair of Blue Eyes’, written at his cottage, in which he literally left the protagonist hanging from a cliff.
Discover ‘Hardy Country’
Free your busy schedule and find time to discover Hardy Country. You can follow Thomas Hardy’s story from Higher Bockhampton where he was born, to his home at Max Gate, then on to his final resting place (at least for his heart!) at St Michael’s Church. Learn more about his life and work at the Dorset County Museum, get your photo taken next to the Hardy memorial, and finish your excursion with a walk around the vast and beautiful countryside that inspired so many of his works.
Sources:
![[image]](/blog/media/1164/2.jpg) | Article Name | Thomas Hardy's Dorset; A Quick Guide |
| Author | Anne Wiltshire | |
| Description | Thomas Hardy is Dorset’s most famous writer. Born in 1840 in a cottage in Higher Bockhampton near Dorchester, he had only a modest education but soon became one of the most famous and influential writers of his time. |