Thomas Hardy's Cottage, in Higher Bockhampton, Dorset, is a small cob and thatch building that is the birthplace of the English author Thomas Hardy. He was born there in 1840 and lived in the cottage until he was aged 34—during which time he wrote the novels Under the Greenwood Tree (1872) and Far from the Madding Crowd (1874)—when he moved to the property he designed known as Max Gate.
The cottage was built by Hardy's great-grandfather in 1800. It is now a National Trust property, and a popular tourist attraction. The property has a typical cottage garden, and the interior displays furniture which, although not from the Hardy family, is original to the period. In 2006, fans of the author, including the Thomas Hardy Society, raised fears over plans to turn the property into a holiday home during the winter months; a Trust spokesperson defended the idea by saying "Buildings are conserved if people are living in them", although also said no decision had yet been taken. In summer 2012, there was a £700,000 bid made to the Heritage Lottery Fund to create a visitor's facility located near the cottage. Later that year, the body provided a grant of £495,000 which will—alongside donations from other sources—allow the project to go ahead; it is expected that work will begin in September 2013, with the centre open for Easter 2014. The project is a joint partnership between Dorset County Council and the National Trust. The property is situated on the northern boundary of Thorncombe Woods.
Famous quotes containing the words thomas hardy, thomas, hardy and/or cottage:
“The victors and the vanquished then the storm it tossed and tore,
As hard they strove, those worn-out men, upon that surly shore;
Dead Nelson and his half-dead crew, his foes from near and far,
Were rolled together on the deep that night at Trafalgar!”
—Thomas Hardy (1840–1928)
“For this is one of the ancientest laws among them; that no man shall be blamed for reasoning in the maintenance of his own religion.”
—Sir Thomas More (1478–1535)
“Only a man harrowing clods
In a slow silent walk
With an old horse that stumbles and nods
Half asleep as they stalk.”
—Thomas Hardy (1840–1928)
“The poorest man may in his cottage bid defiance to all the forces of the Crown. It may be frail—its roof may shake—the wind may blow through it—the storm may enter—the rain may enter—but the King of England cannot enter!—all his forces dare not cross the threshold of the ruined tenement!”
—William Pitt, The Elder, Lord Chatham (1708–1778)