Hardy lived in Sturminster Newton from 1876 to 1878 in the Riverside Villa, where he wrote The Return of the Native.  He then lived at Max Gate, just outside Dorchester, for 43 years until his death in 1928.

 

 

William Barnes

 

Barnes was born in 1801 at Bagber, near Sturminster Newton.  He wrote poetry in the Dorset dialect, and influenced the writing of Thomas Hardy.

 

 

Statue of William Barnes in Dorchester

‘Lawrence of Arabia’

T E Lawrence’s rural retreat was at Clouds Hill, near Wareham.  His tiny isolated cottage is open to the public.  There is also an exhibition of his life and a walking trail.

 

Self-catering holidays

in Dorset

Places of interest

 

 

Literary Links

Thomas Hardy

 

Hardy was born at Higher Bockhampton in 1840 and wrote his early novels Under the Greenwood Tree and Far from the Madding Crowd there.

 

Location: Higher Bockhampton, 3.5 miles north-east of Dorchester.

 

 

Hardy’s Cottage, Higher Bockhampton

 

Hillyground Cottage Holidays

Self-Catering Holiday Cottages in the Heart of the Blackmore Vale