Event Highlights
Do more with the National Trust
March - Easter Egg Trails Fri 29 Mar – Mon 1 Apr Join us at Hardy’s Birthplace, Max Gate and Clouds Hill and take part in our fun Easter Egg Trails. £2.50 per trail. April - Poetry Group at Max Gate Monthly, beginning Wed 10 Apr Share, discover and enjoy Thomas Hardy’s poetry in the atmospheric setting of his home, Max Gate. £3. Booking advised 01305 262538
The National Trust is a charity that looks after hundreds of extraordinary places, for ever, for everyone. Support our work protecting special places in Dorset and the south west.
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May - May Festivities at Hardy’s Birthplace Mon 6 May Dance around the maypole and join in the revelry at Hardy’s Birthplace.
August - ‘The Woodlanders’ by Thomas Hardy, performed by the New Hardy Players Fri 16 & Sat 17 Aug Bring a picnic for an outdoor performance of Hardy’s ‘The Woodlanders’ on the lawn at Max Gate. £10. Booking advised 01305 262538
June - Happy Birthday Hardy! Sun 2 Jun Indulge in a day of fun at Hardy’s Birthplace and in the Max Gate garden with a Birthday Tea Party.
September - Victorian Harvest Fair Sat 21 Sep from 12pm Come and join us for a traditional Harvest Fair at Max Gate. £2.
By joining the National Trust you are helping us to care for 250,000 hectares of outstanding natural beauty around the country. Members get free admission, and free car parking at all our places, plus a complete handbook and a fascinating magazine. Call 0844 800 1895 or visit www.nationaltrust.org.uk
DORSET Hardy’s Birthplace
Opening times and prices Clouds Hill, Bovington, Wareham, BH20 7NQ 01929 405616 or cloudshill@nationaltrust.org.uk £6.50, child £3.
Clouds Hill
Max Gate
13 Mar–3 Nov 11–5 . . W T F S S Open Bank Holiday Mon. Last admission half an hour before closing. Closes at dusk if earlier (no electric light).
Hardy’s Birthplace, Higher Bockhampton, DT2 8QJ 01305 262366 or hardysbirthplace@nationaltrust.org.uk £6.50, child £3. 13 Mar–3 Nov 11–5 . . W T F S Open Bank Holiday Mons. Last admission half an hour before closing.
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Max Gate, Alington Avenue, Dorchester, DT1 2AB 01305 262538 or maxgate@nationaltrust.org.uk £6.50, child £3. 13 Mar–3 Nov 11–5 . . W T F S Open Bank Holiday Mons. Last admission half an hour before closing.
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Photography: NTPL/David Cousins, Robert Morris, Andrew Butler, Dennis Gilbert. © National Trust 2013. Printed on 100% recycled paper. Please recycle this leaflet after use. www.nationaltrust.org.uk/bathskyline National Trust is an independent registered charity, number 205846
Clouds Hill BH20 7NQ 9 miles east of Dorchester, 4 miles south of A35, 1 mile north of Bovington Camp. Max Gate DT1 2AB 1 mile east of Dorchester on A352 Wareham Road. Hardy’s Birthplace DT2 8QJ 3 miles north east of Dorchester, ½ mile south of A35.
For alternative formats, please call 01297 489481 or email westdorset@nationaltrust.org.uk
Discover
Hardy’s Birthplace Max Gate Clouds Hill The perfect day out for lovers of literature and the countryside
Hardy’s Birthplace This delightful cob and thatched cottage is where Thomas Hardy was born and it really is ‘Far From the Madding Crowd’. The surrounding woods are delightful to explore at any time of the year, and have barely changed since Hardy’s time.
Max Gate
Clouds Hill
Max Gate, home to Dorset’s most famous writer Thomas Hardy, was designed by the writer himself in 1885. Inside you can see the study where he wrote many of his most famous works including ‘Tess of the D’Urbervilles’.
This tiny, isolated cottage was the home of an extraordinary man: T.E. Lawrence, better known as Lawrence of Arabia. The austere rooms of this rural retreat are much as he left them, giving an insight into the complex personality of the writer and soldier.
Hardy’s Birthplace is managed in partnership with Dorset County Council
“Authentic atmosphere - the log-burning fire helps to make the place homely and lived in”
“The whole atmosphere really was exceptional. Wonderful work progressing to open up even more of Hardy’s rooms - superb! Thank you!”
“The wood fire really evoked what it would have been like… Very atmospheric” “It was the most welcoming NT house I have visited”
www.nationaltrust.org.uk
“A real integrity, an essence of T.E. in the house”
“An unexpectedly enjoyable visit and the quirky house added to this enjoyment”
www.nationaltrust.org.uk