Newbury blue plaque unveiled for author Thomas Hardy

Newbury Town Council unveiled its latest blue heritage plaque at the weekend.

Newbury dignitaries, residents and members of the Thomas Hardy Society gathered on Saturday to unveil the town’s 18th blue plaque commemorating famed English novelist and poet, Thomas Hardy.

The plaque was unveiled by Newbury Mayor, Nigel Foot, at The Chequers Hotel, a site sharing a special connection with the author’s later work.

Mr Foot was supported by the chairman and academic director of the Thomas Hardy Society, Mark Chutter.

Carolyn Jones is the author of Thomas Hardy's Berkshire, exploring sites in Berkshire and other areas that inspired the fictional locations which feature in Hardy’s texts.

“Newbury town is finally on the Hardy trail,” she said. “The plaque now installed outside The Chequers Hotel commemorates Hardy’s link with Newbury through his last, most famous and scandalous novel of its time.”

Hardy’s final novel, Jude the Obscure, written in 1895, is mostly set in and around Newbury and Oxford, appearing under the fictional names Kennetbridge and Christminster.

The Chequers Hotel is expressly mentioned in the novel as a favourable place to stay.

The plaque forms part of the Thomas Hardy Trail of sites commemorating the author’s work.