World-famous for its strong connection with Thomas Hardy – the author chose Dorset’s county town as the model for Casterbridge in The Mayor of Casterbridge, and lived there for much of his life – Dorchester’s history goes back a good deal longer than that. The region was first settled in prehistoric times. Then the Romans came to the area, building both an amphitheatre and an aqueduct. And then the town played host to both the Bloody Assizes and the trial of the Tolpuddle Martyrs. Tumultuous times – but their legacy is a lovely town, pretty surrounding villages and a region rich in natural and manmade beauty.