Hardy Country
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Thomas Hardy was an English novelist and poet who lived from 1840 to 1928. For most of his life he lived in Dorset , the county of his birth. His works feature the fictitious county of Wessex heavily, which is in fact a semi imaginary county based on Dorset itself. The areas of Dorset involved in Hardy's life and works have become collectively known as 'Hardy Country'.
Hardy's birthplace was Higher Brockhampton in Dorset. The cottage where he spent his first 34 years is now known as Hardy's Cottage and is owned by the National Trust. Hardy wrote 'Under the Greenwood Tree' and 'Far from the Madding Crowd' while he lived at this cottage. 'Far from the Madding Crowd' was the first of his novels to introduce the county of Wessex.
You can also visit the National Trust owned Max Gate . This is a property which Hardy, who had trained as an architect, designed and lived in. 'Jude the Obscure', 'Tess of the D'Urbervilles' and 'The Mayor of Casterbridge' were written at Max Gate.
The D'Urberville family is based on the real life family the Turbervilles, who were Lords of the Manor at Bere Regis (Hardy's 'Kingsbere') in the 13th century. You can visit the church of St John the Baptist at Bere Regis and see the Turbervilles Window, a beautiful stained glass window dedicated to the family. Tess spent the night beneath this window with her mother and siblings after the family were evicted from their cottage at Marlott. The village of Marlott is Hardy's version of the real life village at Marnhull which lies in the Vale of Blackmoor. It's an area worth visiting for its lush rolling hills, as well as the opportunity to relive Hardy's classic novel.
Casterbridge is Hardy's version of Dorchester , the county town of Dorset. The Kings Arms Hotel in Dorchester is a 19th century landmark that is well used in Hardy's novels. The Dorset County Museum on High West Street features a wonderful collection of Hardy memorabilia.
Hardy was very familiar with Puddletown as it was a short walk from Higher Brockhampton. It features in his novels as Weatherbury. The beautiful church of St Mary is where Sergeant Troy spent a rainy night sheltering in the porch after the funeral of Fanny Robin.
There are many tours and walks around Hardy Country. They all showcase the beauty of the region and the allow you to feel as close as possible to the area where Thomas Hardy lived and worked.
- Acorn Inn, Dorchester, Dorset
- Anglo Swiss Hotel, Bournemouth, Dorset
- Anvil Inn, Blandford Forum, Dorset
- Bridge House Hotel & Restaurant, Beaminster, Dorset
- Britmead House, Bridport, Dorset
- Captains Club Hotel, Christchurch, Dorset
- Chine Hotel, Bournemouth, Dorset
- Christchurch Harbour Hotel & Spa, Christchurch, Dorset
- Crown Hotel, Blandford Forum, Dorset
- De Vere Royal Bath, Bournemouth, Dorset
- Dean Park Inn, Bournemouth, Dorset
- Durley Hall Hotel and Spa, Bournemouth, Dorset
- Eastbury Hotel, Sherborne, Dorset
- Grand Hotel, Swanage, Dorset
- Harbour Heights, Poole, Dorset
- Haven Hotel, Poole, Dorset
- Hermitage Hotel, Bournemouth, Dorset
- Hotel Prince Regent, Weymouth, Dorset
- Langtry Manor, Love Nest of a King, Bournemouth, Dorset
- Lord Bute Hotel, Christchurch, Dorset
- Manor Hotel (The), Dorchester, Dorset
- Marquis of Lorne Inn, Bridport, Dorset
- Marriott Bournemouth, Bournemouth, Dorset
- Menzies Carlton, Bournemouth, Dorset
- Menzies East Cliff Court, Bournemouth, Dorset
- Mortons House Hotel, Corfe Castle, Dorset
- Plumber Manor, Sturminster Newton, Dorset
- Priory Hotel, Wareham, Dorset
- Purbeck House Hotel, Swanage, Dorset
- Royal Bath Hotel, Bournemouth, Dorset
- Royal Lion Hotel, Lyme Regis, Dorset
- Sandbanks, Poole, Dorset
- Stock Hill Country House Hotel & Restaurant, Gillingham, Dorset
- Summer Lodge Hotel, Dorchester, Dorset
- The Casterbridge, Dorchester, Dorset
- The Fernhill Hotel, Charmouth, Dorset
- The Grange at Oborne, Sherborne, Dorset
- The Roundham House, Bridport, Dorset
- The Royal Chase, Shaftesbury, Dorset
- Tudor Grange Hotel, Bournemouth, Dorset
- Wessex Royale Hotel, Dorchester, Dorset
- Acorns Guest House, Poole, Dorset
- Alendale Guest House, Weymouth, Dorset
- Antelope Inn, Poole, Dorset
- Ashmira, Weymouth, Dorset
- Ashmore Barn Farm, Blandford Forum, Dorset
- Belvedere Hotel, Bournemouth, Dorset
- Betchworth House, Chideock, Dorset
- Botany Farmhouse, Lulworth Cove, Dorset
- Brace of Pheasants, Dorchester, Dorset
- Bradle Farmhouse, Wareham, Dorset
- Bramlies, Dorchester, Dorset
- Britmead House, Bridport, Dorset
- Cadogan Hotel, Bournemouth, Dorset
- Chandlers, Weymouth, Dorset
- Cherry Tree House, Southbourne, Dorset
- Churchview Guest House, Dorchester, Dorset
- Cransley, Bournemouth, Dorset
- Crown Inn, Shaftesbury, Dorset
- Culeaze House, Wareham, Dorset
- Denewood Hotel, Bournemouth, Dorset
- Dower House Hotel, Lyme Regis, Dorset
- Ebenezer B&B, Beaminster, Dorset
- Eype's Mouth Country Hotel, Eype, Dorset
- Eypes Mouth Country Hotel, Bridport, Dorset
- Field Farmhouse, Dorchester, Dorset
- Fox Inn, Dorchester, Dorset
- Galway Guest House, Weymouth, Dorset
- Glendevon Hotel, Bournemouth, Dorset
- Halfway House Inn Country Lodge, Yeovil, Somerset
- Higher Came Farmhouse, Dorchester, Dorset
- Horton Inn, Wimborne, Dorset
- Horton Inn, Wimborne, Dorset
- Kelston Guest House, Weymouth, Dorset
- King's Head Hotel, Wimborne, Dorset
- Letchworth Guest House, Weymouth, Dorset
- Limekiln House, Lulworth Cove, Dorset
- Little Court, Dorchester, Dorset
- Lower Bryanston Farm, Blandford Forum, Dorset
- Luckford Wood House, Wareham, Dorset
- Manor Hotel (The), West Bexington, Dorset
- Mory House, Southbourne, Dorset
- Northwood Cottages, Shaftesbury, Dorset
- Park Lodge Bungalow, Blandford Forum, Dorset
- Pines Hotel, Swanage, Dorset
- Pump Cottage Bed & Breakfast, Upwey, Dorset
- Quiet Woman House, Yeovil, Somerset
- Quiet Woman House, Sherborne, Dorset
- Riviera Hotel, Bournemouth, Dorset
- Rose Cottage, Chideock, Dorset
- Rosscourt Hotel, Bournemouth, Dorset
- Royal Oak Hotel, Bere Regis, Dorset
- Saxon Inn , Child Okeford, Dorset
- Sea Corner Guest House, Highcliffe, Dorset
- Seaborough Manor Farmhouse, Beaminster, Dorset
- Sherborne Hotel, Sherborne, Dorset
- Somerset Hotel, Weymouth, Dorset
- St Martin's House, Blandford Forum, Dorset
- Stapleton Arms, Buckhorn Weston, Dorset
- Thanet House, Bournemouth, Dorset
- The Beach House, Weymouth, Dorset
- The Benett Arms, Shaftesbury, Dorset
- The Casterbridge, Dorchester, Dorset
- The Castleton , Swanage, Dorset
- The Glen B&B, Shaftesbury, Dorset
- The Heights Hotel - Portland, Portland, Dorset
- The Roundham House, Bridport, Dorset
- The Sun Inn, Weymouth, Dorset
- The Talbot, Iwerne Minster, Dorset
- The Three Oaks, Christchurch, Dorset
- Tiffanys, Bournemouth, Dorset
- Tower House Hotel, Bournemouth, Dorset
- True Lovers Knot, Blandford Forum, Dorset
- Urban Beach Hotel, Bournemouth, Dorset
- White House, Christchurch, Dorset
- White Lion Inn, Gillingham, Dorset
- Wynards Farm, Lulworth Cove, Dorset
- Yellowham Farmhouse, Dorchester, Dorset
- Abbotsbury Sub-tropical Gardens, Weymouth, Dorset
- Abbotsbury Swannery, Abbotsbury, Dorset
- Brewers Quay, Weymouth, Dorset
- Corfe Castle, Corfe Castle, Dorset
- Corfe Castle Model Village and Gardens, Wareham, Dorset
- Dorset County Museum, Dorchester, Dorset
- Dorset Heavy Horse Centre, Verwood, Dorset
- Dorset Teddy Bear Museum, Dorchester, Dorset
- Farmer Palmer's, Poole, Dorset
- Hardy's Cottage, Dorchester, Dorset
- Keep Military Museum, Dorchester, Dorset
- Kingston Lacy, Wimborne, Dorset
- Kingston Maurward Gardens and Animal Park, Dorchester, Dorset
- Knoll Gardens and Nursery, Ferndown, Dorset
- Mapperton Gardens, Beaminster, Dorset
- Minterne Gardens, Dorchester, Dorset
- Monkey World, Wareham, Dorset
- Nothe Fort, Weymouth, Dorset
- Oceanarium, Bournemouth, Dorset
- Portland Castle - English Heritage, Portland, Dorset
- Red House Museum & Garden, Christchurch, Dorset
- Royal Signals Museum, Blandford Forum, Dorset
- Sherborne Abbey, Sherborne, Dorset
- Sherborne Castle & Lakeside Gardens, Sherborne, Dorset
- Swanage Museum, Swanage, Dorset
- Swanage Railway, Swanage, Dorset
- The Dinosaur Museum, Dorchester, Dorset
- Tolpuddle Martyrs Museum, Dorchester, Dorset
- Tutankhamun Museum, Dorchester, Dorset
- Walford Mill Craft Centre, Wimborne, Dorset
- Wolfeton House, Dorchester, Dorset
- Captains Club Hotel, Christchurch, Dorset
- Cottages in Dorset, Countywide, Dorset
- Domineys Cottages, Buckland Newton, Dorset
- Dorchester Apartments, Dorchester, Dorset
- Dream Cottages, Wareham, Dorset
- Dream Cottages, Bridport, Dorset
- Dream Cottages, Portland, Dorset
- Dream Cottages, Weymouth, Dorset
- Helpful Holidays, Christchurch, Dorset
- Helpful Holidays, Sandbanks, Dorset
- Helpful Holidays, Broadwindsor, Dorset
- Littlesea Holiday Park, Weymouth, Dorset
- Northwood Cottages, Shaftesbury, Dorset
- Rockley Park Holiday Park, Poole, Dorset
- Rudge Farm, Bridport, Dorset
- Seaview Holiday Park, Weymouth, Dorset
- The Cheese House, Corfe Castle, Dorset
- The Loft, Chideock, Dorset
- The Sea Turret, Weymouth, Dorset
- Updown Cottage, Shaftesbury, Dorset
- Weymouth Bay Holiday Park, Weymouth, Dorset
- White Horse Farm , Sherborne, Dorset
- Wynards Farm , Dorchester, Dorset
- Acorn Inn, Dorchester, Dorset
- Acorn Inn, Evershot, Dorset
- Antelope Inn, Poole, Dorset
- Anvil Inn, Blandford Forum, Dorset
- Brace of Pheasants, Dorchester, Dorset
- Chetnole Inn , Sherborne, Dorset
- Crown Hotel, Blandford Forum, Dorset
- Crown Inn, Shaftesbury, Dorset
- Fiddleford Inn, Sturminster Newton, Dorset
- Fox Inn, Dorchester, Dorset
- Halfway House Inn Country Lodge, Yeovil, Somerset
- Horton Inn, Wimborne, Dorset
- King's Head Hotel, Wimborne, Dorset
- Manor Hotel (The), Dorchester, Dorset
- Manor Hotel (The), West Bexington, Dorset
- Marquis of Lorne Inn, Bridport, Dorset
- Royal Lion Hotel, Lyme Regis, Dorset
- Royal Oak Hotel, Bere Regis, Dorset
- Saxon Inn , Child Okeford, Dorset
- Sherborne Hotel, Sherborne, Dorset
- Stapleton Arms, Buckhorn Weston, Dorset
- The Benett Arms, Shaftesbury, Dorset
- The Sun Inn, Weymouth, Dorset
- The Talbot, Iwerne Minster, Dorset
- White Lion Inn, Gillingham, Dorset
- Ashmore Barn Farm, Blandford Forum, Dorset
- Higher Came Farmhouse, Dorchester, Dorset
- Lower Bryanston Farm, Blandford Forum, Dorset
- Seaborough Manor Farmhouse, Beaminster, Dorset
- Wynards Farm, Lulworth Cove, Dorset
- Yellowham Farmhouse, Dorchester, Dorset
- Budget Hotel Bournemouth, Bournemouth, Dorset
- Durley Grange Hotel, Bournemouth, Dorset
- Ingledene Guest House, Bournemouth, Dorset
- Lampeter Hotel, Bournemouth, Dorset
- Portland Lodge, Portland, Dorset
- Premier Inn Poole Centre (Holes Bay), Poole, Dorset
- Rosscourt Hotel, Bournemouth, Dorset
- Suncliff Hotel, Bournemouth, Dorset
- The Edenhurst, Weymouth, Dorset
- The Sun Inn, Weymouth, Dorset
- Thistle Poole, Poole, Dorset
- Tiffanys, Bournemouth, Dorset
- Tralee Hotel, Bournemouth, Dorset
- Acorn Inn, Evershot, Dorset
- Acorns Guest House, Poole, Dorset
- Alendale Guest House, Weymouth, Dorset
- Ashmore Barn Farm, Blandford Forum, Dorset
- Betchworth House, Chideock, Dorset
- Botany Farmhouse, Lulworth Cove, Dorset
- Bradle Farmhouse, Wareham, Dorset
- Bramlies, Dorchester, Dorset
- Chandlers, Weymouth, Dorset
- Cherry Tree House, Southbourne, Dorset
- Chetnole Inn , Sherborne, Dorset
- Churchview Guest House, Dorchester, Dorset
- Cransley, Bournemouth, Dorset
- Culeaze House, Wareham, Dorset
- Dower House Hotel, Lyme Regis, Dorset
- Eypes Mouth Country Hotel, Bridport, Dorset
- Fiddleford Inn, Sturminster Newton, Dorset
- Field Farmhouse, Dorchester, Dorset
- Kelston Guest House, Weymouth, Dorset
- Limekiln House, Lulworth Cove, Dorset
- Lower Bryanston Farm, Blandford Forum, Dorset
- Luckford Wood House, Wareham, Dorset
- Mory House, Southbourne, Dorset
- Northwood Cottages, Shaftesbury, Dorset
- Park Lodge Bungalow, Blandford Forum, Dorset
- Pump Cottage Bed & Breakfast, Upwey, Dorset
- Quiet Woman House, Yeovil, Somerset
- Quiet Woman House, Sherborne, Dorset
- Rose Cottage, Chideock, Dorset
- Sea Corner Guest House, Highcliffe, Dorset
- St Martin's House, Blandford Forum, Dorset
- Thanet House, Bournemouth, Dorset
- The Castleton , Swanage, Dorset
- The Glen B&B, Shaftesbury, Dorset
- The Three Oaks, Christchurch, Dorset
- Wynards Farm, Lulworth Cove, Dorset
- Larkfield Holiday Park, Bridport, Dorset
- Littlesea Holiday Park, Weymouth, Dorset
- Rockley Park Holiday Park, Poole, Dorset
- Sandford Holiday Park, Poole, Dorset
- Seaview Holiday Park, Weymouth, Dorset
- Weymouth Bay Holiday Park, Weymouth, Dorset
- Acorn Inn, Dorchester, Dorset
- Acorn Inn, Evershot, Dorset
- Anvil Inn, Blandford Forum, Dorset
- Bridge House Hotel & Restaurant, Beaminster, Dorset
- Chetnole Inn , Sherborne, Dorset
- Fiddleford Inn, Sturminster Newton, Dorset
- Fox Inn, Dorchester, Dorset
- Halfway House Inn Country Lodge, Yeovil, Somerset
- Lord Bute Hotel, Christchurch, Dorset
- Manor Hotel (The), Dorchester, Dorset
- Manor Hotel (The), West Bexington, Dorset
- Mortons House Hotel, Corfe Castle, Dorset
- Plumber Manor, Sturminster Newton, Dorset
- Priory Hotel, Wareham, Dorset
- Royal Lion Hotel, Lyme Regis, Dorset
- Stock Hill Country House Hotel & Restaurant, Gillingham, Dorset
- The Grange at Oborne, Sherborne, Dorset
- The Royal Chase, Shaftesbury, Dorset
- Tudor Grange Hotel, Bournemouth, Dorset
- Coastal Caravan Park, Bridport, Dorset
- Larkfield Holiday Park, Bridport, Dorset
- Littlesea Holiday Park, Weymouth, Dorset
- Luckford Wood House, Wareham, Dorset
- Rockley Park Holiday Park, Poole, Dorset
- Sandford Holiday Park, Poole, Dorset
- Seaview Holiday Park, Weymouth, Dorset
- Coastal Caravan Park, Bridport, Dorset
- Larkfield Holiday Park, Bridport, Dorset
- Littlesea Holiday Park, Weymouth, Dorset
- Luckford Wood House, Wareham, Dorset
- Rockley Park Holiday Park, Poole, Dorset
- Sandford Holiday Park, Poole, Dorset
- Seaview Holiday Park, Weymouth, Dorset
- Weymouth Bay Holiday Park, Weymouth, Dorset
- Cottages in Dorset, Countywide, Dorset
- Domineys Cottages, Buckland Newton, Dorset
- Dream Cottages, Wareham, Dorset
- Dream Cottages, Bridport, Dorset
- Dream Cottages, Portland, Dorset
- Dream Cottages, Weymouth, Dorset
- Helpful Holidays, Christchurch, Dorset
- Helpful Holidays, Sandbanks, Dorset
- Helpful Holidays, Broadwindsor, Dorset
- Northwood Cottages, Shaftesbury, Dorset
- Rudge Farm, Bridport, Dorset
- The Cheese House, Corfe Castle, Dorset
- Updown Cottage, Shaftesbury, Dorset
- White Horse Farm , Sherborne, Dorset
- Wynards Farm , Dorchester, Dorset
- Acorn Inn, Dorchester, Dorset
- Acorn Inn, Evershot, Dorset
- Antelope Hotel, Sherborne, Dorset
- Anvil Inn, Blandford Forum, Dorset
- Chetnole Inn , Sherborne, Dorset
- Fiddleford Inn, Sturminster Newton, Dorset
- Fox Inn, Dorchester, Dorset
- Halfway House Inn Country Lodge, Yeovil, Somerset
- Priory Hotel, Wareham, Dorset
- Royal Lion Hotel, Lyme Regis, Dorset
- The Royal Chase, Shaftesbury, Dorset
- The Royal Chase, Shaftesbury, Dorset
- Culeaze House, Wareham, Dorset
- Kingston Maurward Gardens and Animal Park, Dorchester, Dorset
- Lord Bute Hotel, Christchurch, Dorset
- Portland Castle - English Heritage, Portland, Dorset
- Priory Hotel, Wareham, Dorset
- Sherborne Castle & Lakeside Gardens, Sherborne, Dorset
- Tudor Grange Hotel, Bournemouth, Dorset
- Russell Court Hotel, Bournemouth, Dorset
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