Dorset History Centre has secured a grant of £35,000, which will help it to open up the largely unseen archives of world-renowned Dorchester author Thomas Hardy.

The history centre has received the grant from the Archives Revealed programme at The National Archives. 

The highly competitive process identified the service's efforts to catalogue the work of Thomas Hardy as a high priority. 

Dorset History Centre (DCH), with its support charity Dorset Archives Trust, has been leading efforts to raise a total of £68,000 and is still seeking to raise a further £26,000 to meet this target and start the project this autumn.

The funds will employ an archivist to work on the collection, creating a new, freely-accessible catalogue – descriptions of all Hardy's archives, opening the collection up in a way never before possible. 

At present, this UNESCO-inscribed treasure is something of a hidden gem with very little public information available about what it contains and how it can be accessed.

The project will change all that, with detailed descriptions of Hardy's archives – the letters, photographs, poetry, manuscript novels (including the Mayor of Casterbridge and Under the Greenwood Tree), musical scores and printed material so making them accessible to the wider world. 

Understanding the archive is key to understanding Hardy and his world – his intimate thoughts, political opinions and the world of which he formed part.

This is the finest Hardy archive in the world and this investment will bring it to life. Anyone who wishes to contribute to the project can donate by going to the website of the Dorset Archives Trust at www.dorsetarchivestrust.org

Cllr Laura Beddow, Cabinet member for culture and communities, said: "We are delighted to have received this important grant from The National Archives which recognises the importance of this important part of our cultural heritage. 

"I fully support the fundraising efforts to raise the balance of the funds required to launch this project."