 Thomas Hardy's Cottage
Two hundred years ago, in the remote and wild setting of the Dorset heathland,
John Hardy built a small 'cob and thatch' cottage for his family. The
Hardy's were a firm of simple country builders, using old-fashioned
materials and traditional methods, and the original three rooms of the
cottage show far more quality in the building than the later extensions.
But the cottage did not acquire its place among England's famous houses
for the skilled craftsmanship employed in its construction, that honour
coming 40 years later with the arrival of Thomas Hardy, the builder's great grandson.
With memories of an extremely happy childhood spent at the cottage, and the additional bonus of its
position, right in the heart of the countryside, Thomas Hardy was well-placed
to gain an understanding of life and the beauty of nature. This rich source
of easily accessible information provided plenty of material for his poetry
and novels, two of which were written during his time at the cottage.
'Under the Greenwood Tree' contains many descriptions of Hardy's Cottage,
the local church, the village folk, and vistas that he was familiar with
during his early years, and 'Far From the Madding Crowd' was written using
similar real life situations. In 1874 Thomas Hardy married, eventually building
his own home just a few miles from this cottage where he was born, but
he frequently visited the family home right up to the time of his death.
Despite being just a few miles outside the busy market town of Dorchester, Hardy's Cottage remains
fairly isolated, even by today's standards. Now encompassed by managed
woodland, there are various trails and footpaths that wind through the
woods and over the heath leading to Hardy's Cottage, still partially
hidden by the tall beech trees. Delightfully secluded, with a flourishing
old cottage garden that attracts a huge variety of butterflies and birds,
the property has changed little over the years.
Careful restoration work has returned Hardy's Cottage to its appearance at the end of the 19th
century but it is possible to identify the original core of the cottage
and the later extensions. Deep window-seats were a typical feature of
this style of basic country cottage, and Thomas Hardy made full use
of them. From this vantage point in his room, he would observe and record
the seasonal sights and sounds of the countryside, recollecting every
little detail when he wrote his poems and books. Even while he was working
in London as an architect, Thomas Hardy could not wait to get back to this
idyllic rural retreat to recharge his batteries and seek renewed inspiration
for his writing.
By 1912, both parents being deceased and Hardy's brother and sisters having moved to a larger house,
the family cottage was let to a number of local tenants. This in no way
prevented Thomas Hardy from looking after the old property, as he would often
visit the tenants and make recommendations for the maintenance of it.
Lovingly built by his great grandfather, Thomas Hardy adored the cottage
that had greatly influenced his literary work, and could not bare the
thought that it should ever be abandoned or neglected. In its current
state of preservation it is a tribute to the builder and the writer, both
of whom contributed in no small way to the pleasure it continues to give visitors today. |
