A new version of a Thomas Hardy trail leaflet featuring images from the forthcoming major film adaptation of ‘Far from the Madding Crowd’ is out now.
The new leaflet aims to help visitors explore parts of Dorset which inspired Thomas Hardy throughout his lifetime. It includes a trail which links together where he lived, the towns and villages he wrote about and the church where his heart is buried.
Visitor attractions featured include the Dorset County Museum which houses the largest Hardy collection in the world and Athelhampton House and Gardens of which Thomas Hardy himself was a regular visitor.
For film location fans, the leaflet highlights where several major TV and film adaptations of Hardy’s novels have been filmed in the area. Most recently Sherborne and Mapperton House near Beaminster welcomed Hollywood A-listers Carey Mulligan and Tom Sturridge for Thomas Vinterberg’s adaptation of ‘Far from the Madding Crowd’.
The Thomas Hardy Society and the tourism team of the West Dorset District Council and Weymouth & Portland Borough Council have joined forces to publish the new leaflet which will help visitors to explore and enjoy this beautiful area so loved by Hardy. The updated version of the leaflet now features information on Weymouth and Portland in addition to West Dorset.
Robert Gould, Leader of West Dorset District Council, said:
“Thomas Hardy gives Dorset a unique selling point, which helps our tourism industry to compete in domestic and international markets.
“This new leaflet will be distributed widely and will feature on our popular website www.visit-dorset.com.With the forthcoming release of Far from the Madding Crowd we can expect a lot of interest in Thomas Hardy in 2014.”
Mike Nixon, secretary of the Thomas Hardy Society, said:
“We were pleased to work with the councils’ tourism team to produce this new leaflet. As a society we are keen to encourage new interest in Thomas Hardy and this leaflet gives visitors a good overview of the beautiful area of Dorset in which he lived and worked. The leaflet should appeal to those already knowledgeable about Hardy as well as those wishing to learn more.”
