Novelist and poet Thomas hardy is being honoured with a blue plaque next door to the historic site of his home in Surbiton.

A literary giant, Hardy was living in a house called St David’s Villa in Hook Road, Southborough, at the time he published Far From the Madding Crowd in November 1874.

When Rosalyn Ellis moved to Hook Road a year ago she and her husband researched the property and discovered the Hardy connection. 

Mrs Ellis said: "We were fascinated to trace elements of what he was looking at and writing about in his poems and notebooks of the period.

"As nobody else seemed to know about it, we thought it was surely worth having a plaque to commemorate his time here, because he is such an interesting figure."

They then sought approval from Kingston Council, who were happy to have the words Royal Borough of Kingston Upon Thames on the plaque.

Liberal Democrat Councillor Hilary Gander said: "I'm really pleased that Rosalyn and her family have chosen to mark Hardy's connection with our local area with a plaque.

"As a big Thomas Hardy fan, I was personally very excited to learn that Hardy once lived just down the road from me and I will be proudly informing anyone who'll listen!"

Your Local Guardian: Blue plaque commemorates novelist Thomas Hardy’s time in Surbiton

Hardy, originally from Dorset moved into the house in 1874 with his wife.

Hardy began his career as an architect but poetry and novel-writing was always his passion and he rapidly gained fame while in Surbiton after Far From the Madding Crowd.

His Surbiton home was demolished in the 1960s and replaced with the block of flats called Midhurst Court at 13 Hook Road.

However, the two Victorian houses next door at numbers 15 and 17 survive from Hardy’s time here and the blue plaque has been put in place at 15 Hook Road with the support of residents, Kingston Council, Kingston Local History Room and Councillor Hilary Gander.

Councillor Andrea Craig, Kingston Council's portfolio holder for Heritage and Arts, said: "Kingston has a rich history and long tradition of creativity and innovation.

"This is a wonderful way to acknowledge the presence of one of England's greatest novelists and poet, and his contribution to literature during his time in Surbiton. 

"This recognition supports our desire as a council to make sure that we celebrate our creative past, present and future, and that Kingston is a vibrant place with a strong cultural identity."