Sat 12 Sep 26
Sat 12 Sep:1030-1630, last admission at 1530.; Sun 13 Sep:1030-1630, last admission at 1530.; Free Entry.
Max Gate, Alington Avenue, Dorchester DT1 2FN
Heritage Open Day: Max Gate, home to Dorset's famous author and poet, Thomas Hardy, was designed by the writer himself and built by the Hardy family building firm in 1885. Max Gate, an austere but sophisticated town house a short walk from the town centre of Dorchester, was the home of Dorset's most famous author and poet Thomas Hardy. Hardy, who designed the house in 1885, wanted to show that he was part of the wealthy middle classes of the area, to reflect his position as a successful writer, and to enable him to enter polite society. The house was named after a nearby tollgate keeper called Henry Mack. The tollgate was known locally as ‘Mack’s Gate’, which Hardy then used with a different spelling when he named his house, ‘Max Gate’...
