Thomas Hardy’s Cottage
About the Thomas Hardy’s Cottage
Hardy’s Cottage is a beautiful secluded place to visit if you are following the Thomas Hardy Trail through Dorset.The cottage, just outside Higher Bockhapmton, was built by Hardy’s great-grandfather in 1800 and little has been altered externally since then.
It is a popular place for tourists to visit and see where Hardy wrote Under the Greenwood Tree and Far from the Madding Crowd.
The cottage is traditionally built from cob and the thatched roof is a wonderful backdrop to the roses, honeysuckle and japonica that climb the walls. Catch the cottage on a sunny Summers day and you won’t find a prettier place in Dorset to spend a couple of hours.
The cottage stands at the top of the hill off Cuckoo Lane in Higher Bockhampton and behind it stretches Egdon Heath, which Hardy wrote of in ‘The Return of the Native’. Take your walking shoes and enjoy a walk through the woods and beyond into Puddletown Forest.
Continue the Thomas Hardy Trail by taking in another National Trust property with Hardy connections – Max Gate, where Thomas Hardy wrote many poems and eventually died.
Parking is restricted. The cottage is reached via a 10 minute walk from the car park. Please check latest opening times/admission prices at the National Trust website before setting out.
Features
- Where born in 1840
- Write early short stories, poetry and novels here
- Open hearths, small windows and stone floors
- Typical 19th Century rural cottage
- His father’s office
- Granny’s kitchen
- Hardy’s bedroom where he wrote Under the Greenwood Tree
Special features
- Next to Hardy’s Egdon Heath
- Events & children’s activities
Visit Thomas Hardy’s Cottage
Higher Bockhampton
nr Dorchester
Dorset, DT2 8QJ
Opening times
- 1 March – 31 October: Mon –Sun 11am to 5pm, last entry at 4.15pm
- 1 November 2017 – 28 February 2018: Thurs – Sun, 10am to 4pm, last entry at 3.15pm
- For Hardy’s Cottage all admissions are done from the Hardy’s Birthplace Visitor Centre, so visitors need to get there first, before going to Hardy’s Cottage.
Admission
- Adult Gift Aid £7.00
- Adult Standard £6.00
- Child Gift Aid £3.50
- Child Standard £3.00
- Group adult standard £5.00
- Group child standard £2.50
Contact
tel: 01305 262366
E: email
Do check the National Trust website for the latest information before visiting Hardy’s Cottage.
