Julian Fellowes bashed Prince William’s duchy housing project in Dorset

More than a year ago, Prince William “broke ground” on a new Duchy of Cornwall housing project in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly. William’s big plan is to introduce low-income housing to certain areas of the duchy, although from what I’ve read about the housing scheme, it seems much more complicated than a straight-forward housing project. In any case, one of the duchy’s housing schemes is to build 107 houses in Dorset, somewhat close to the historic home of British author Thomas Hardy. Julian Fellowes, the creator of Downton Abbey and The Gilded Age, is the president of the Thomas Hardy Society, and he recently had harsh words for William’s housing scheme.

Very committed to the protection of the architectural heritage of his country, Julian Fellowes has now raised his voice against the Duchy of Cornwall for the plan to build a hundred houses next to the historic residence of the novelist Thomas Hardy in Dorset. That pits him against Prince William, who as Duke of Cornwall has been managing the duchy’s real estate assets since his father’s accession to the throne.

Among these assets are four plots of land next to Max Gate, Hardy’s former residence, and it is there that the Dorset council has now approved the plan to build 107 homes. As president of the Thomas Hardy Society, the creator of Downton Abbey claims that this will ruin a rural landscape that was key to the writing of such important works in the history of English literature as. Tess of the d’Urbervilles: A Pure Woman conceived and written by Hardy at the house.

“The people who approved this clearly do not appreciate the history of the county and the importance of Thomas Hardy to the area,” Fellowes said. “I don’t understand how the developers and the city council, grown men and women, can do that in good conscience. I know they have to do something about the housing shortage, but there are plenty of other places where they could build without interfering with these historic sites. It will be much harder for future generations to understand Hardy’s life and work.”

The Downton Abbey creator has a more or less direct line to the British royal family through which to convey his request. Since 2011, he has held a seat in the House of Lords as Baron Fellowes of West Stafford, and is also married to Emma Joy Kitchener, former lady-in-waiting to Princess Michael of Kent. Hardy had been an architect before he became a novelist and designed his own house in Dorset, where he lived until his death.

[From Vanity Fair]

I had no idea that Hardy was an architect and that he designed his own home! That’s so cool. I can understand why Hardy enthusiasts and Fellowes in particular want to protect Hardy’s architectural legacy as well as the historical site of where he wrote such iconic novels. Of course, I would be interested in learning whether the duchy’s housing project really affects Max Gate, or if it’s just “close by.” Not to take William’s side, but it does sound like the duchy got adequate permission from the local council and what have you. Like, the duchy isn’t doing this in secret – there’s apparently a major housing crisis in the area and the duchy is trying to address it in a smallish way.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images.