Max Gate, the house of Thomas Hardy

After leaving home Hardy build Max Gate, he designed the house himself in 1885, he built the house 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’. The property was rented for a long time and many of Hardy’s possessions were dispersed before the National Trust acquired the house but they have down their best to recreate how it would have looked from photos.

There is also a pet cemetery for the couples beloved pets and a henge stone found in the garden when the foundations were being dug. It was said it used to be the site of a stone henge type circle only older and bigger. #maxgate #dorset #exploredorset #thomashardy #thingstodoindorset