A PROJECT to preserve Thomas Hardy's cottage near Dorchester, is underway to try and reverse the ravages of time

The cottage at Higher Bockhampton - which is the birthplace of the great writer - is owned by the National Trust, which will be carrying out the work throughout January when there are fewer visitors.

In order for the much-needed conservation project to go ahead, the attraction will be closed to the public until February 1.

According to the National Trust many thousands of people enjoy exploring the cottage every year, but this puts a lot of strain on the structure, which is built from cob – a mix of clay, sand, gravel and chalk, bound together with straw and water. It was built in 1800 by Thomas Hardy’s great-grandfather.

A National Trust spokesman confirmed that the stone floor slabs in the parlour need repointing, as the millions of footsteps over the years have taken their toll. A support is being built to secure the stairs, which have also suffered wear and tear.

Meanwhile, the lime plaster on the walls has cracks which need filling and it all needs repainting.

"All this work can be done only by closing the cottage for a while," the spokesman added. "In such a small building it would be impossible to do it with visitors inside."

To keep the disruption to a minimum the work will take place from January 2-31, which the National Trust said is the quietest time of the year.

The work will be carried out by National Trust staff from the South Somerset Buildings Team, whom the organisation said have a great deal of experience in this field.

They will also repair the roof and walls of the garden shed.

Elizabeth Grant, senior house steward at Hardy’s Cottage, said she strives all the time to balance conservation with public access.

"It’s really a very fragile structure, designed to be a family home for just a few generations," she said.

"The National Trust now has the responsibility both to preserve the cottage for much longer than that, and to meet as far as possible the huge demand from people to look around the place where Thomas Hardy was born, grew up, and wrote some of his early novels."

Later on in the year the front slope of the cottage’s roof will be re-thatched, and visitors will be able to watch this work taking place.

It won’t be necessary to close the cottage for that part of the project, the National Trust confirmed.