Commerce: Dartington Woodlands Limited

DATE: 1906-2000

LEVEL: SubFonds

This series contains the commercial records of Dartington Woodlands Limited relating to its formation, management, development and activities. Wilfred E Hiley was Director (1946-1958), and Managing Directors were Robert H Hide (1947-1957) and Robert Michael Harley (1957-1980).

Subjects include: maintenance, dedication, and sale of Dartington Woodlands; sample plots and planting programmes; woodlands policy, grants and schemes; soil surveys; estate management; meetings and committees; and the formation and activities of Woodlands Research Department, Dartington Hall Forestry Training Centre and Dartington Timberwork Limited.

Material includes: correspondence; minutes; reports; memoranda; examinations of accounts; financial statements; incorporation memorandum and articles of association; leases; endorsements; agreements; accident records; yield tables; crown measurements; plans; the Dartington Hall Estate Dedication of Woodlands plans of operations and record forms; deeds of covenant, variation and release; schedule of areas; valuation of land held by Dartington Woodlands Limited; minute books; reports books; statistical inventory ledger; accounts ledger; ordnance survey maps of Dartington Woodlands; Dartington Woodlands Limited Compartment Register Northern Areas and Southern Areas. photographs including aerial photographs; articles; press cuttings; press releases; prize winning certificates and medals.

Dartington Woodlands Limited was established in Jan 1947 in order to separate and consolidate the commercial aspects of Dartington Hall Woodlands Department from its research function. The new company carried on the same essential organisation structure as the Woodlands Department. It had its own nurseries (Steward, Moretonhampstead and Broadlears, Dartington), an estate sawmill at Moretonhampstead and two firewood mills at Dartington and Kingswood, and was equipped with tractors, lorries, and portable sawing machinery. The Woodlands Research Department was directly responsible to the Dartington Hall trustees and financed independently of Dartington Woodlands Limited. One object, among others, of the Woodlands Research Department was to carry out experiments in association with Dartington Woodlands Limited.

Wilfred Hiley retired in 1958, and Robert Hide had become managing director of Dartington Woodlands Limited between 1952-1957. He was succeeded by Michael Harley until his retirement in 1980. The company became effectively dormant in the early 1980s after the sale of nearly all the woodlands with the exception of North Woods and other woodland on the estate, which were managed by Fountain Forestry Limited.

Dartington Woodlands Limited was responsible for the maintenance and development of Dartington Woodlands. Dartington Woodlands consisted of Southern Woods based on Dartington which included: Dartington Park, Kingswood, Channer Head, Harbourne Wood, Yelland, Harts Wood, Ogwell and Bovey Tracey. Northern Woods based on Moretonhampstead which included: North Bovey, Fingle and Clifford. A number of sample plots were started to measure the growth of stands, unusual treatments, outstanding plantations and to assist in investigations. The first sample plot to be measured at Dartington was in 1943 to record the growth in a coniferous area in North Wood. Included in the sample plots amongst other were those of douglas fir, redwood, hemlock fir, monterey pine, ash and Japanese larch. The sample plots were primarily maintained by Ruldoph Lehtpere. The methods of thinning were an important aspect for both the commercial operations and research and the subject of thinning became a special subject of study at Dartington.

In 1946, the Forestry Commission introduced a Dedication of Woodlands Scheme. The purpose of this scheme was to encourage the application of systematic management to private woodlands. The fundamental principle of the Scheme was the rehabilitation of the woodlands through replanting programmes or natural regeneration. Those prepared to proceed with the work of rehabilitation received financial assistance from the State. The basis of the Scheme was that all woodlands judged to be suitable and necessary for timber production should either be dedicated to that purpose by the owner or acquired by the State.

A Timber based production company (Dartington Timberwork Limited) was established in 1966 at Moretonhampstead sawmills with 51% of the share capital owned by Dartington Woodlands Limited. In 1970 the shares were sold to Fountain Forestry with an option for Dartington Timberwork Limited to buy the freehold of the site, which was duly completed in 1973. Fountain Forestry Limited took over the management of the 'outer' woods (mostly Dartmoor) while the home woods remained under the management of Dartington Woodlands Limited.

Dartington Hall Forestry Training Centre was established on the 1st October 1966. It offered a residential two year course designed to enable students to qualify for the Woodman's Certificate Examination, City and Guilds Forestry Stage I Examination, and to provide training in practical forestry. The Dartington Hall trustees authorised the use of 200 acres of woodlands, 2 acres of forestry tree nurseries and a forestry library. C S (Stuart) Bunce was head of the centre.

Information for Researchers

All papers belonging to The Dartington Hall Trust Archive (with the exclusion of Dartington Hall School pupils individual records) are held at the Devon Record Office. All enquiries relating to research should be made to Devon Records Office, Great Moor House, Bittern Road, Sowton, Exeter, Devon EX2 7NL
+44 (0)1392 384253
+44 (0)1392 384256
devrec@devon.gov.uk
www.devon.gov.uk/record_office

The following requests should be made direct to the Archives & Records at The Dartington Hall Trust as shown below:
Copies of images as seen on The Dartington Hall Trust online catalogue with appropriate reference number (Ref No.)
Permission to publish or quote from any document held in the Dartington Hall Trust Archive
Former pupils of Dartington Hall School wishing to view their records
Archives & Records
The Dartington Hall Trust
Dartington Hall
Totnes TQ9 6EL
01803 847200
yvonne.widger@dartington.org

This information is copyright The Dartington Hall Trust