The building where the Victorian novelist and poet Thomas Hardy worked as an apprentice architect has been gutted by fire.
About 50 firefighters tackled the blaze as it tore through the historic Grade II listed building in South Street, Dorchester, at 3.34am on Monday, and spread “significant” smoke in the area, Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service (DWFRS) said.
The mid-terrace commercial property is today home to The Gorge Cafe, but it is “so important” because it was where architect John Hick took 16-year-old Hardy on as an apprentice from 1856-1862, according to Mark Chutter, chairman of the Thomas Hardy Society.
He said: “This building was so important because it is from there that Hardy became an architect and on from that to go into church restoration.
“This is quite distressing. This was quite a tourist attraction for people.
“This was an important place where people would remember Hardy and his relationship with architecture.
“I think the point is that he went on to become an architect and then went on to become an architect of words in his fiction.”
The plaque that remembered Hardy and his connection with Mr Hick at the site has “completely disintegrated in the fire which is such a shame”.
Mr Chutter said: “The whole building has been gutted. It is just a shell of its original appearance.
“It is Grade II listed so it will need to be put back as it was, I suppose. I think that would be important.
“It is just a shocking time for South Street and Dorchester.
“All the old timbers have been burnt.
“It is just such a sad occasion because Hardy has such a legacy.”
He said the fire puts the protection of historic buildings under the spotlight, and added “perhaps the phoenix will rise from this and we will come up with a wonderful solution”.
He hopes the building can be “returned to how it was and there must be plans for the building and it must be protected as a Grade II listed building”.
Debris was strewn across the road in front of the building and its collapsed facade.
The cause of the fire is being investigated. Some residents were evacuated from the building but no injuries were reported.
A DWFRS spokesman said: “In the early hours of yesterday morning we were called with reports of a property fire in South Street, Dorchester.
“At the height of the incident approximately 50 firefighters tackled the fire and worked throughout the day to bring the blaze under control.
“The building where the fire started had collapsed and the two adjacent properties were badly affected, with the danger of further collapse.”
South Street and parts of Trinity Street were closed as firefighters tackled the blaze and electricity supplies to premises in those streets were also affected.
On Tuesday DWFRS described the as blaze as “a very complex incident,” and that firefighters were at the scene all night to deal with hot spots.
Trinity Street was later reopened, and all the businesses on South Street that were unaffected by the fire or the cordon.
DWFRS added: “The buildings affected by fire are still at risk of collapse so the area in front has been fenced off and this closure will be in place for the foreseeable future.”
