LKE North Devon

DATE: 1963-1974

LEVEL: Series

This series contains Leonard Elmhirst's records relating to a regional development scheme for North Devon. The Dartington Hall Trust, especially Peter Sutcliffe and Maurice Ash, promoted and sponsored the project and the records include their correspondence, together with correspondence of those who supported them, including A H G Gardner-Brown of the Devon Community Council acting as the Development Officer, and J N Oliver, member of the Devon District Committee for the South Western Regional Board for Industry, acting for the Trustees in North Devon. The records in this series include correspondence; reports; valuations; surveys; minutes; memoranda; press cuttings; publications; maps and plans.

The object of the North Devon Project was to facilitate social and economic development by means of a practical experiment into whether the successful social features of the Dartington Experiment in rural reconstruction could be applied to a selected area of North Devon where quality of life was declining because of depopulation, and lack of economic and cultural activity.

The Dartington Hall Trust were willing to invest in a North Devon Branch of its textile enterprise and land which they would lease to the North Devon Project, as a centre for economic activity. The Trust also sought a place for cultural and recreational development, and residential short courses, ideally a country house with land.

The North Devon Project was primarily financed and supported by The Dartington Hall Trust with the aid of the Community Council of Devon, Devon County Council, the Development Commission, and Exeter University Department of Economics.

The North Devon Project resulted in the establishment of Dartington Glass Limited with a factory built at Torrington to produce, in this country, glassware to a Swedish pattern. And the purchase of Green Warren House, Beaford, where the Beaford Arts Centre was established.

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