The lakes and waterfalls of Dorset Bride Manor have brought joy to visitors for decades, using loose roads to enter a pastoral lovely scene that could have come directly from the pages of Thomas Hardy’s novel.

But after announcing the opportunity to enter the public starting on June 2, the village that finally pilgrimage this week was grim and angry towards Xiaomaopai Village.

“It’s easier and easier to come here like going back to the 1950s or 1960s,” said Caroline Lewis of Weymouth, a retired civil servant and teacher who has visited for half a century.

"It is beautiful and tranquil. I have a lot of joy, peace memories here. It is quiet and soothing, and turning it off seems selfish."

Landscape photographer Rachel Baker visited for 10 years. “I first stumbled upon it when we went to a day trip to West Dorset and stopped in my little chest on the way home. It was such a beautiful, peaceful place where humans were barely visible.

“The waterfall is particularly amazing in autumn because it is framed by Japanese maple and the leaves change from golden yellow to crimson red. Every fall, it becomes a pilgrimage and a pilgrimage to photograph the waterfall.

“It is regrettable that so many years of public visits have been taken away.”

Kevan Manwaring, a creative writing lecturer, said it is culturally important. Hardy knew this field very well, so one of the main characters in his novel Jude was named Sue Bradhead.

Artist David Inshaw drew cricket on the estate in the 1970s, and recently, the waterfall was used as the environment for the crime scene of the TV show Broadchurch.

“We should encourage people to spend more time in nature, not less,” Manwaring said.

The history of the estate has stretched for centuries. According to information notifications from the Country Church, St. Michael and all Saints, "Bredy" in "Littlebredy" comes from the Celtic word, meaning Throb or Boil, which is considered a reference for convective.

For more than 400 years, the estate was owned by Cerne Abbey until its dissolution and was acquired by Robert Williams in the late 18th century, who reaped a wealth of gains from furniture manufacturing, banking and stakes in the East India Company.

The stream was cursed to create the Bride Lake. Acrocer, tulip trees and pine trees were planted and at the western end of the lake, the water overflowed into the waterfall of moss.

The houses and estates were passed to villagers through the Williams family, and visitors could access lakes and waterfalls in exchange for donations to the country church. For many years, people have spread the ashes of loved ones and pets on the scene.

Last year, the 16-bedroom home and 2,000 acres of heritage were listed for a guided price of £30 million. Country life describes it as a "happy home full of surprises."

It is believed that homes and real estate will be sold soon. The new owner's identity has not yet appeared, but the notice said "allowed access will be evacuated as of Monday, June 2, 2025" appeared on the fence next to the road.

The right to roaming means it will challenge and “defy” the ban.

Nadia Shaikh of the campaign said: “The beauty and tranquility of the bride should continue to be touched by everyone, rather than locked behind the real estate gates. This landscape is not just a landscape, it is part of the background culture and natural heritage, intertwined with local identity and community life.

"This closure reflects the dangerous nature of the public entering rural England. It is part of an increasing trend of micro-looseness and paid trends in rural areas. The government urgently needs new legislation to protect places to bridehead and expand to rural areas elsewhere."

Sheikh said the estate’s history “has a close link with colonial exploitation”, adding: “Sustaining public visits is a positive step towards accountability, community rehabilitation and celebrating a more inclusive, shared legacy.”