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transformed it into a renowned centre of educational, agricultural and artistic experiment. The Dartington Hall Trust now works to continue and develop their legacy. There are a number of interesting buildings on the


10. Turn left above main car park opposite Dartington Hall entrance, along lane signed for Park Rd and Warren Lane.


11. At junction, go through wooden kissing gate on corner and down the concrete track. Turn right at the bottom and follow the riverside path.


12. When you reach the road turn left. At the Estate gates turn left and retrace your steps back along the riverside path to Totnes.


13. Turn left over Totnes Bridge, then right onto Seymour Road, and first right again back down Steamer Quay Road to the car park.


Heritage According to Medieval legend, Totnes was the place where the nation of Britain was founded. The tale has it that the Trojans found their way across the seas and up the Dart following their defeat by the Greeks. Upon landing at Totnes, they slew the smattering of giants that made up the population, and named the country ‘Britain’ after their leader, Brutus. The threat of Vikings raiding up the Dart was what


actually put Totnes on the map. It was here, in the 10th century, that Saxon kings built a fortified town to repel them. The story of Dartington Hall begins with one John Holland, who was given the Estate by his half brother Richard II in 1348. Holland was eventually beheaded, and through the centuries the Estate passed through the hands of various minor royals, and a family called the Champerknownes, falling at last into serious neglect. In 1925 the dilapidated estate was bought by


Leonard and Dorothy Elmhirst, a rich, energetic and visionary couple. They restored the Estate and


Dartington Hall Estate. The complex on your right as you walk up across the field after leaving the All Access Path is called Foxhole. It was built as part of Dartington Hall School, which famously developed a progressive model of education until its closure in the mid 1980s. As you follow the footpath on up the hill, you can see the bold white and blue form of High Cross House to the left. This is a prime example of a house built in the Modernist style, designed to be ‘a machine for living in’. The house is open to visitors. The courtyard and Great Hall are part of the original manor house. Except when it is being used for a function, you are welcome to visit the Great Hall. Looking in there today it is hard to imagine that when the elmhirsts bought the estate in 1925, the Hall was in ruins, with no roof and a tree growing happily in the middle of the space. For more information on Dartington Hall Trust visit www.dartingtonhall.org.uk


Landscape The wetland meadow on your left as you enter the Dartington Hall Estate is called Queen’s Marsh. It used to be a holding area for barges, and you can still make out the old channels where the boats were moored. The gardens at Dartington Hall include formal garden and parkland spaces; several sculptures including one by Henry Moore; tremendous displays of camellias and magnolias; and a blue and yellow herbaceous border designed by Dorothy Elmhirst. The centrepiece of the garden is the lawn with


grassed terracing known as the Tiltyard. It used to be thought that it had been used as a jousting arena. This now seems unlikely, but the area probably was used in past centuries for the unsavoury pastime of bear baiting.


Wildlife The riverside footpath leading out of Totnes is spangled with Ramsons in the spring. Also known as


Start Bay from little Dartmouth


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