Sunday Times Where Was I? Holiday Competition

Near as I can figure it, through the possibly flawed perceptual filters of my own reality tunnel, the most likely answers this week, seem to me to be:


Q1. Dorchester


Q2. Cecil Day-Lewis

внимание друзья! for question two, Cecil Day-Lewis didn't like to use the hyphen in his name and can also be known as Cecil Day Lewis.


The initial clues seem to place us in the Roman town of Durnovaria (aka Dorchester), in the county of Dorset. Travelling five miles of so south west brings us to Black Down Hill, near the settlement of Portesham and the site of a seventy two foot high monument, dedicated to Vice Admiral Sir Thomas Masterman Hardy (born c 1769), who fought at the battle of Trafalgar. The author in question is also called Thomas Hardy but he was born c 1840 in the hamlet of Higher Brockhampton, which lies a mile or so north east of the town.

There appear (on the OS map at least) to be remains of a Roman temple to the south of Dorchester, next to an Iron age hill fort called Maiden Castle and the remains of a Roman aqueduct on the north western edge of the town. Travelling five miles or so north east from the aqueduct, takes us to the site of Thomas Hardy's (the author) birthplace, a cottage in Higher Brockhampton. The "long low cottage with the hipped roof of thatch" quote, comes from Hardy's 1872 novel, 'Under the Greenwood Tree'.

The Eastender, after watching 'Tess of the D'ubervilles' and 'Jude the Obscure', thought that Thomas Hardy must have been broke but he seems to have been quite well off and built an impressive town house called 'Max Gate', at Alington Avenue, in Dorchester c 1885. In the garden at Max Gate, lies the grave in which Hardy's fox terrier, 'Wessex' was buried. The inscription on it reads "Famous Dog WESSEX Aug 1913 - 27 Dec 1926 Faithfull Unflinching".

Thomas Hardy's heart, is apparently buried in the graveyard of St Michael's church in a small dorp called Stinsford, which is about a mile north east of Dorchester. Next to this is the site of the poet laureate (appointed c 1968), Cecil Day-Lewis's grave (died c 1972). Cecil Day-Lewis also wrote a novel (c 1935) called 'A Question of Proof', which featured a detective called Nigel Strangeways.

N.B. The Eastender has moved to moderated comments due to the number of people who normally write letters in green ink, posting on his page. Rest assured though, if you have a non abusive comment relating to solving the puzzle and possible solutions, he will publish it.