Major boost for History Centre’s Thomas Hardy project fundraiser
Dorset History Centre, the county’s archive service has been awarded a £35,000 grant by the Archives Revealed programme at The National Archives. The highly competitive process identified the service’s efforts to catalogue the world-renowned archives of author Thomas Hardy as a high priority. DHC with its support charity Dorset Archives Trust has been leading efforts to raise a total of £68,000. We are still hoping to raise the additional £26,000 to meet our target and start the project this autumn.
The funds will employ an archivist to work on the collection, creating a new freely-accessible catalogue – descriptions of all Hardy’s archives, opening the collection up in a way never before possible. At present this UNESCO-inscribed treasure is something of a hidden gem with very little public information available about what it contains and how it can be accessed.
The project will change all that with detailed descriptions of Hardy’s archives – the letters, photographs, poetry, manuscript novels (including the Mayor of Casterbridge and Under the Greenwood Tree), musical scores and printed material so making them accessible to the wider world. Understanding the archive is key to understanding Hardy and his world – his intimate thoughts, political opinions and the world of which he formed part.
This is the finest Hardy archive in the world and this investment will bring it to life. Anyone who wishes to contribute to the project can donate by going to the website of the Dorset Archives Trust (www.dorsetarchivestrust.org).
Cllr. Laura Beddow, Cabinet member for Culture and Communities said
“We are delighted to have received this important grant from The National Archives which recognises the importance of this important part of our cultural heritage. I fully support the fundraising efforts to raise the balance of the funds required to launch this project
