THOMAS HARDY
AND NORTH CORNWALLMost people associate the poet and novelist Thomas Hardy with Dorset, but he also has strong connections with North Cornwall.
It was as an architect that he first came here in 1870, to superintend the restoration of the crumbling church of St. Juliot near Boscastle - a visit which was to change his whole life. For it was here that he met and fell in love with the Rector's sister-in-law Emma Gifford, who was to become his first wife and who played a crucial part in his momentous decision to abandon architecture and devote himself to his writing.
His novel A Pair of Blue Eyes drew heavily on his Cornish visits, and you can still track down such places as 'West Endelstow Church' (St. Juliot), 'Castle Boterel' (Boscastle) and 'East Endelstow' (Lesnewth), though you will notice that Hardy has moved some of the places around!
The Hardys lived away from Cornwall, but after Emma's sudden death in 1912, Hardy revisited the scenes of his courtship, and the emotions and memories this evoked led to the 'Poems of 1912-13', among the finest elegies in the language.
Visitors today can still follow in the footsteps of Hardy and Emma along the beautiful Valency Valley, and find quiet spots on the cliff tops where 'the waked birds preen and the seals flop lazily', as they remember how much North Cornwall meant to Hardy.
The Thomas Hardy Society has published a leaflet St. Juliot Church and Thomas Hardy (on sale in the church in aid of church funds), and a tour guide The Country of 'A Pair of blue Eyes'.
Information about the Society is available from The Thomas Hardy Society, P.O. Box No. 1438, Dorchester, Dorset DT1 1YH.
North Cornwall 2002 - Atlantic Heritage Coast