Tess and the kingdom of the Swoose

The river Frome at Wool Bridge, Wool, Dorset


This solid bridge is a sixteenth century replacement for an earlier bridge at this site. The water flowing underneath it is high, but would need to rise several feet more to reach to reach the top of the stone arches. Given the rainfall last night, I imagine it will rise higher in the days to come.

The partially submerged garden belongs to Woolbridge Manor, a stunning, virtually unaltered seventeenth century house in a magical setting. It is the Wellbridge House of Thomas Hardy's "Tess of the Durbervilles".


This section of the Frome was home to a swoose which I photographed in 2008; perhaps he is still there, today's high water was not ideal for bird identification. More on this creature accompanies my back-blip about it.