Dorset’s renowned Victorian novelist and poet will be celebrated at the 27th International Thomas Hardy Conference and Festival from July 25 – August 1 attracting literature buffs from across the globe. Lectures from keynote speakers followed by panel sessions at the Dorford Centre in Dorchester will give academics and scholars the opportunity to present their […]
An urgent crowdfunding appeal has been launched to secure the future of Bridport’s 250-year-old cultural landmark, The Lyric Theatre. Already, the Under This Roof appeal has raised more than £66,500 towards £100,000 needed for vital repairs before irreversible damage destroys the roof of the Grade II listed building. The Lyric’s roof has deteriorated badly over […]
The ghosts of Portland Fair are to be evoked as the island’s b-side festival returns this September. The annual celebration of creativity is this year looking to embrace the island’s oddness, and otherness under the title of That Other Place. Eleven artists have been commissioned to conjure up a parallel Portland, familiar but off kilter, […]
An archive which includes manuscripts for three of Thomas Hardy’s major novels, his notebooks, photographs and over 5,000 letters is now accessible to all. It is the largest collection of Hardy material in the world. It is free to access by appointment at the Dorset History Centre in Dorchester and the catalogue can be viewed […]
A brilliant line-up of music legends are to appear at Bridport’s fabulous Jurassic Fields Festival from Friday, August 14 until Sunday, August 16. Multi-million selling chart toppers Scouting For Girls, whose hits include This Ain’t a Love Song, She’s So Lovely and Elvis Ain’t Dead, headline as they build towards a massive 20th anniversary weekend […]
As we steam towards the first day of summer, the Wessex Morris Men will be celebrating the first sight of the sun in the wee small hours on May Day at Cerne Abbas in a ritual dating back centuries. With the new Dorset Ooser in tow, and playing quite a part in the party, the […]
A violin restorer from Cattistock is bringing a cello which belonged to Thomas Hardy’s grandfather back to life. Hardy’s grandfather, also called Thomas, played in the Stinsford Quire between 1800 and 1840. Over the last six decades, John Dike has been bringing back alto, soprano and tenor radiance into the violin-family instruments he is asked […]