Saturday 9th January 2027
Starts 13:00 until 14:00
poets corner, Westminster Abbey, 20 Dean's Yard, London SW1P 3PA

Thomas Hardy Memorial Service 2027

Wreath-laying ceremony at Westminster Abbey

Date: 9th January 2027

Time: 1pm to 2pm

Cost: Free to Members

Venue: Poets' Corner, Westminster Abbey

The ashes of Thomas Hardy were buried in Poets’ Corner in Westminster Abbey on 16th January 1928. Hardy had died at Max Gate in Dorchester on 11 January. The chief mourners were his widow Florence, his sister, the Prime Minister Ramsay MacDonald, Rudyard Kipling, Sir James Barrie, George Bernard Shaw and A.E.Housman.

The casket had lain in St Faith’s Chapel prior to the service. The grave was lined with purple and the Dean of Westminster sprinkled a handful of earth on the casket during the service (the earth from his beloved Stinsford). The simple inscription reads:

THOMAS HARDY O.M. 1840-1928

Each year, the Thomas Hardy Society meet at Westminster Abbey to lay a wreath on Thomas Hardy's gravestone in Poets' Corner.

We will meet at 12pm for lunch* in the Cellarium Café and Terrace at Westminster Abbey before the 1pm service at Poets' Corner.

*Lunch is optional and payable separately

Places are limited, so if you would like to join us, please RSVP to reserve a place