Hardy papers given temporary export bar as Culture Minister seeks £50,000 buyer

Thomas Hardy's birthplace at Higher Bockhampton in Dorset, where a set of papers formerly belonging to the Hardy Players have been placed under temporary export bar

Culture Minister Margaret Hodge has given Thomas Hardy aficionados two months to save a £50,000 haul of original typescripts, copies, programmes and scenery from early 20th century takes on some of his most famous works.

The dramatisations by The Hardy Players, an amateur dramatic group who were occasionally tutored by the writer himself, were held in his native Wessex between 1908 and 1924, interpreting classics including Tess of the D'Urbervilles and Far From the Madding Crowd to the stage.

The Reviewing Committee on the Export of Works of Art and Objects of Cultural Interest have placed a temporary export bar on the pieces, believing the loss of them would be "a misfortune" due to their "close connection with our history and national life".

"This collection is closely associated with the life of a particular region, one given an enduring literary identity as Thomas Hardy's Wessex," said Committee Member Christopher Wright.

"As well as providing information about the adaptation and staging of Hardy's works, it also documents the reception of a major literary figure by the local community that inspired him."

Potential buyers will be given a further two months to raise funds if they can prove their interest by February 17 2010.