Clouds Hill

About the museum

Clouds Hill is a modest two-storey cottage built in 1808 for a farm labourer and his family and later lived in by a series of woodmen. In 1923 T. E. Lawrence, the army officer and writer known as Lawrence of Arabia, was serving in the Tank Corps at nearby Bovington Camp under the name Private Shaw. He wanted a quiet place to write, read and listen to music after the working day, paid for essential repairs to the then ruinous cottage and rented it from the owner, Sergeant Arthur Knowles.

Over the following years Lawrence reshaped the interior to his own taste. He created a Book Room with a large leather-covered divan, a Music Room where he wrote and entertained friends, a Bunk Room fitted like a ship's cabin, and a bathroom insulated with cork. He designed several pieces of furniture himself and had a gramophone with a huge horn. He later bought the cottage and added a reservoir and a conservatory with a study. It was the only house he ever owned.

Lawrence left the Royal Air Force in 1935 and spent only a few weeks at Clouds Hill before dying after a motorcycle accident that year. His brother Arnold gave the cottage and much of its contents to the National Trust in 1937. Because the rooms are kept much as Lawrence left them, light levels are low to protect the contents. A shed that once housed his Brough Superior motorbikes now holds a display about his life.

Highlights

• Cottage kept much as T. E. Lawrence left it
• Book Room with his leather-covered reading divan
• Music Room with the horn gramophone
• Bunk Room fitted like a ship's cabin
• Motorbike shed with a display about Lawrence's life
• Brass rubbing trail on the hillside

Permanent exhibition

• The cottage of T. E. Lawrence – Rooms including the Book Room, Music Room, Bunk Room and bathroom, furnished as Lawrence left them, plus a motorbike shed with a display about his life.

Founded

1937

Operated by

National Trust

Admission & discounts

Prices are shown without Gift Aid; with Gift Aid the adult ticket is £13.20, the child ticket £6.60 and the family ticket £33. National Trust members enter free, and entry and parking are free for members, who should bring their card. Non-members pay in advance and choose an arrival time.

Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible: no information
• Elevator: no information
• Accessible restroom: no information
• Accessible parking: no information
• Service dogs welcome
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

The cottage is reached from the car park along a flat footpath of about 90 yards. Light levels inside are low and the corridors are narrow, and seating is available. An AccessAble guide and a virtual tour are published online. Only assistance dogs are allowed.

Kids & families

• Activity booklet, scavenger hunt or kids’ audio guide

Children can follow a brass rubbing trail with eight zinc plaques hidden in the hillside; trail sheets and crayons are provided.

Getting there & parking

The cottage lies about one mile north of Bovington, near the Tank Museum, and is reached from the A35 or from Wareham along the A352. Sat nav postcode BH20 7NQ.

Amenities & dining

The motorbike shed has basic facilities for making tea and coffee, and there is a picnic bench on the hill above the cottage. Toilets are listed among the facilities.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit