*DORCHESTER* - The Dorset Shepherd

Inscription:- "This sculpture, The Dorset Shepherd, is a tribute to the quiet heroism and wisdom of pastoralists and cultivators who provide inspiration for the literary tradition associated with Dorchester. It was commissioned to mark the year 2000 by Henry Ling Limited, printers in Dorchester since 1804."
Sculptor:- John Doubleday - made from bronze.
Unveiled:- 2000.
Notes:- Inspired by the poem 'The Shepherd O' the Farm' by William Barnes.

Overall:- 6/10

*DORCHESTER* - Thomas Hardy (1840-1928)

It's fair to say that Thomas Hardy is widely considered to be one of England's greatest authors and bearing in mind he lived in (or around) Dorchester for the first 22 years of his life, not surprisingly he features prominently on any visit to the town. That said this very grand statue of him is rather surprisingly located away from the main centre, overlooking a busy roundabout at the top of the High St and is probably missed by quite a few visitors. Apparently there has been talk of possibly relocating it, but to be fair I think statues are best left where they were originally placed.

The sculptor was Eric Kennington and it was unveiled on the 2nd September 1931 by author J.M. Barrie (he of Peter Pan fame) - further information, including a video of the unveiling itself, can be found here.

I remember reading a couple of Hardy's novels when I did English 'A' level - Tess of the d'Urbervilles which was good, but also Return of the Native which was impossible to understand for a spotty 17-year old. A few years ago I also read Under the Greenwood Tree which was OK, but didn't change my opinion that Hardy is a bit over-rated.

Back to the statue, which is impressive in a stately kind of way, mainly because of the large pedestal. It's not exactly a dynamic piece of work, but certainly conveys the reverence in which Hardy is held in the local area.

Overall:- 7.5/10

*DORCHESTER* - William Barnes (1801-1886)

This sombre looking chap was a curate and rector in the Church before he started writing poetry in the latter part of his life, for which he became well known (mainly because most of it was in the old Dorset dialect).

His poems centred around the joys of country life and I imagine even in the 19th century, he was something of a relic from the past - further info on Wikipedia.

In fairness he must have made quite an impact on local life, as this statue came just 3 years after his death. It is made from bronze and the sculptor was Roscoe Mullins (a great photo of the unveiling on the 4th February, 1889 is below).

His best known work is Linden Lea which was set to music by Vaughan Williams and despite gushing with sentimentality, certainly stirs up feelings of England's green and pleasant land - you can listen to it with lyrics on Youtube here.

The inscription has some lines from one of his poems on it and this is a fine, if rather stoic, statue. Quite a lot of information about the sculptor can be found here.

Overall:- 7/10