Anyone For Croquet?

On our whistle-stop Dorset adventure we had to squeeze in just one more National Trust property, aside from the fabulous Portland House that is. We chose to visit Max Gate , formerly author Thomas Hardy's home, as it's close to Dorchester. The house is a Victorian building that Hardy designed himself, though it was extended over the years, perhaps to accommodate the icy atmosphere that developed between him and his first wife. She basically moved into the rather small attic rooms, with a little parlour of her own where she could write undisturbed, whilst Hardy had a massive well-lit study and the large master bedroom on the floor below. It doesn't seem entirely...