St. Mary's Church, Swanage [Hardy's Knollsea Church]. Source of photograph: The Hand of Ethelberta in the Anniversary Edition of the Wessex Novels, 1920, facing p. 406. Scanned image (2002) by Philip V. Allingham; text by Allingham and George P. Landow. [You may use this image without prior permission for any scholarly or educational purpose as long as you (1) credit the person who scanned the image and (2) link your document to this URL.]
According to the editors, many of whose remarks seem based on Thomas Hardy's Wessex (1913) by Herman Lea,
Knollsea Church, where Ethelberta is secretly married to Lord Mountclere, was drawn from St. Mary's Church, situated in the village of Swanage, once a mere fishing village, but now a rising watering- place. The most interesting portion of the town nowadays centres at the old church with its "square, unembattled tower," close to which is the mill, and several stone-built and stone-roofed cottages -- all congruous with the date when Ethelberta is imagined to have visited the little town.
Bibliography
Hardy, Thomas. The Hand of Ethelberta. "Anniversary Edition of the Wessex Novels." New York & London: Harper & Brothers, 1920. This edition derives in part from previous editions and the photographs of 1912.
Last modified 19 April 2024