A historical structure in a Dorset community where the Victorian storyteller and poet Thomas Hardy functioned as a pupil designer has actually been terribly harmed by fire.
More than 50 firemans took on the blaze at the balcony in the region community of Dorchester, which was called Casterbridge in Hardy’s books.
Today, the building on South Street is a coffee shop yet in the mid-19th century it was the workplaces of the church architect John Hicks, that handled Hardy as a pupil at the age of 16.
Hardy functioned as a designer in London after his very early years in Dorchester prior to the success of his unique Far from the Madding Crowd (released in 1874) permitted him to concentrate totally on his writing.
Mark Chutter, the chair of the Thomas Hardy Society, stated: “I am saddened by the news, as this is the building where Hardy trained as an apprentice architect. It was a very important building in Hardy’s life but sadly it looks like it has been completely gutted.
“Hardy had an architect’s eye in the way he described buildings, which particularly comes across in the Mayor of Casterbridge. I will be discussing the fire further with the council of management of the Thomas Hardy Society and Dorchester town council.”
The root cause of the fire, which held at concerning 3.30 get on Monday, is being examined. A variety of citizens were left yet no injuries have actually been reported.
Debris was scattered throughout the roadway before the structure and its exterior totally fell down. People were prompted to maintain their home windows near to stay clear of smoke breathing.
An agent for Dorset and Wiltshire fire solution stated staffs from Dorchester, Weymouth, Bridport, Portland, Wareham, Beaminster, Blandford, Charmouth and Poole participated in.
The speaker stated: “We were called to South Street, Dorchester at 3.34am this morning for a serious fire involving a mid-terrace commercial premises. The building has partially collapsed, and there is significant smoke in the local area. The fire is also affecting two adjacent properties via the roof spaces. No injuries have been reported, but a number of local residents have been moved to a safe place.”
A plaque on the exterior of the structure tape-recorded that Hardy functioned there from 1856-62 as Hicks’s student.
