How to Tour T.E. Lawrence's Cloud's Hill

T.E. Lawrence, better-known as "Lawrence of Arabia," spent much of his early life seeking fame and the rest of it seeking anonymity. After college he pursued a career in archaeology and military intelligence, then found himself leading a group of Arab guerillas fighting against the Ottoman Turks in World War I. In 1922 he rented a cottage called "Clouds Hill" near Wareham in the county of Dorset in Britain. A typical afternoon at Clouds Hill usually involved Lawrence, famous friends such as writer E.M. Forster and ordinary enlisted men sitting around listening to music and nibbling on snacks. Overnight guests slept on the floor in a sleeping bag marked "tuum," while Lawrence, when he stayed, slept in a bag marked "meum."

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

1. The brick and tile cottage was built in 1808. Over the door Lawrence carved a Greek inscription that translates as "I don't care," referring apparently to the carefree life he envisioned for himself at Clouds Hill.
2. There are only four rooms in the house, with a stairway rising up through the middle of the house. Inside the door to the right is a room that was converted into a bathroom prior to a visit from Lawrence's mother. Before that Lawrence and his guests just did their business in the bushes.
   
   To the left of the entrance is the book room which housed his 1,250-volume library. Many of his friends were writers, so the collection was heavy with signed association copies. The shelves now contain Lawrence displays. The room is almost completely dominated by a rectangular piece of upholstered leather furniture. It looks like a bed but is in fact a couch. Guests sat on it and Lawrence sprawled on it to read. There is also an armchair for Lawrence's use. The fireplace was sometimes used to warm up tea or canned foods.
3. Upstairs and to the right is Lawrence's bedroom. The uncomfortable-looking bed is set atop built-in drawers. The room is covered with aluminum foil, which Lawrence felt would serve as a good insulation material.
   
   To the left of the stairs is the music room, with an open, beamed ceiling. The room features candle sconces and a fireplace fender designed by Lawrence, a painting of the young Lawrence by Henry Scott Tuke and a gramophone with a large amplification horn. Lawrence has a large collection of classical music and even wrote a fan letter to the composer Sir Edward Elgar.
   
   The garage Lawrence has built to house his motorcycles now displays photos of his life.
   
   Lawrence is buried in Moreton, Dorset.