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Clouds Hill

In the First World War T.E.Lawrence found fame leading raids against Turkish troops in Arabia. By 1923 he was trying to leave his past and celebrity behind. Lawrence tried to find refuge in the RAF, who rejected him once his new idenity as John Hume Ross was discovered by the curious press. He then enlisted in the tank corps as an ordinary recruit, and moved to Bovington Camp in Dorset. Here private T.E. Shaw as he was now known, lived a generally unhappy and tormented life, eased by reckless rides on his motorbike, and by taking a little cottage at Clouds Hill near the camp. This derelict building was turned into a remarkable little artistic haven where Lawrence worked on his famous account of his wartime experiences The Seven Pillars Of Wisdom, and received visitors such as E.M. Forster, Seigfried Sassoon, and Thomas Hardy. Ordinary soldiers would also visit to read poetry and modern novels.

The cottage survives and is now owned by the National Trust. The interior has been recreated to appear as it was when Lawrence lived there. Perhaps the words "lived there" are not really accurate, Lawrence never really lived anywhere. His was a restless soul, which seemed to demand a contradictory desire to lock itself away in the harsh life of an army recruit. This self imposed imprisonment followed on from his famous service in Arabia, and an important role in international politics at the end of the First World War. The house is small and spartan, except for a huge leather bed surrounded by book shelves in the downstairs room. There is no sense of Clouds Hill as a home. Lawrence and his guests ate out of tins here. No toys ever lay around on the floors. There is no toilet, Lawrence and his friends using the surrounding bushes. It's not surprising he didn't receive many lady visitors at Clouds Hill. This is a man's den, owned by a man who in a sense never grew beyond his solitary boyhood pursuits, even in seeing, and experiencing much more than most men ever do. It is a place of limitation and freedom.

Opening Times: Clouds Hill is open from 20th March to 26th October, 12 midday to 5pm from Thursday to Sunday. It is also open on bank holiday Mondays.

Access: narrow doorways, small rooms and stairs make this a difficult property for those with mobility problems.Outside there are steep slopes and loose gravel paths. There is a Braille guide available. A separate building houses an audio visual display on the life of T.E.Lawrence which can accommodate wheelchairs. There is a walking frame available at the house. As in Lawrence's day, there are no toilet facilities.

Contact:

phone 01929 405616

web site: www.nationaltrust.org.uk