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Dorset's most celebrated writer and poet is Thomas Hardy. Although Hardy set his work in the fictional world of Wessex, many of the places he describes are areas of Dorset renamed. Hardy's cottage and former home in Dorset are both now owned by the National Trust and open to the public.

Thomas Hardy

In other literary links, sci-fi writer Douglas Adams and James Bond creator Ian Fleming both have Dorset connections. Robert Louis Stevenson wrote 'The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde' while living in Bournemouth.

Mercury Music Prize winning singer PJ Harvey lives in the Bridport area and Dorset continues to be an influence in her music.

The band King Crimson also hail from the county, as does composer John Eliot Gardiner. The Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra is one of England's most celebrated.

Dorset Art Weeks is an annual fortnightly event showcasing hundreds of the county's best artists.

There's also a growing live festival scene in the county.

Larmer Tree Festival in North Dorset features established and up and coming bands, as does The End of the Road Festival at the same venue, and countless other smaller festivals - such as the Swanage Blues Festival - highlighting numerous different genres of music.

Swanage Blues Festival

And this year, the Dorset festival scene grows bigger still. The first Camp Bestival festival arrives in Lulworth Castle this summer.

Dorset is also home to a thriving theatre group scene. In fact, the Community Play Movement originated in the county, thanks to the hard work of Ann Jellicoe in Lyme Regis.

Made in England

Made in England is a joint partnership between ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ English Regions and Arts Council England to bring audiences and artists together in unique collaborations to provide exciting new cultural experiences.

It is a project dedicated to exploring how England – the place and the people - is expressed through creative and artistic forms.

Think about the Lake District - dramatic and elegant, the lush greens and icy blues depicting an unspoilt England. William Wordsworth was so inspired by the landscape he wrote poems, sonnets and ballads dedicated to it.

Non-traditional art is just as important to recognise - graffiti on the streets, estates built in the Sixties, and even regional accents. Does this architecture, history and culture inspire you to think of all things English?

If you're bursting with enthusiasm at the thought of creating something - why don't you see how you can get involved? Visit the main Made in England site to find out how you can get your creative juices flowing.

Artist commission - Maggie Gee

Maggie Gee comes from Poole in Dorset, her parents are English and her parents' parents are English. So why does she feel the call of the Romany people so strongly?