Thomas Hardy's Wessex photos fetch £24k at auction

Images inspired by the people and places in Thomas Hardy's novels have gone under the hammer.

The collection of photos have sold for the hammer price of £24,000 at Forum Auctions.

The images were conceived by Hardy and his photographer friend, Hermann Lea, for the 1913 guidebook Thomas Hardy's Wessex.

The pair travelled together capturing images for the publication.

Rupert Powell, the auction house managing director, previously described the images as "unique".

Lea took pictures of the sort of people in rural Dorset who may have inspired Hardy

The total sum for the images, including a buyer's premium, is not yet known.

The pictures show how Hardy imagined Wessex, his fictionalised version of the south of England, would look.

The 1913 publication provided enthusiasts with information on the real-life locations, such as Dorset, Berkshire, Oxfordshire, Wiltshire, Somerset, and Hampshire.

Hermann Lea's subjects were photographed in their natural surroundings

The author is believed to have hoped the book would inspire his readers to take pilgrimages to explores the areas.

Lea's widow bought the collection in the 1960s, which were broken up into four lots for the auction.

The first lot sold for £10,000, the second for £8,000 and another two lots each sold for £3,000.

Follow BBC South on Facebook, X, or Instagram. Send your story ideas to [e-mail].