If the creator of Downton Abbey, Julian Fellowes, had extended the series into the 21st century, he would possibly have written an episode in which t
If the creator of Downton Abbey, Julian Fellowes, had extended the series into the 21st century, he would possibly have written an episode in which the construction of a state-of-the-art building threatens the lovely views of the Crawley family in their Yorkshire palace.
Very committed to the protection of the architectural heritage of his country, the Briton 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 critical works in the history of English literature as. Tess of the d’Urbervilles: A Pure Woman conceived and written by Hardy at the house.
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“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.
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