Welcome
Dartington Trust is a centre for progressive learning in arts, ecology and social justice based on a 1,200 acre campus near Totnes.
What’s On
For the latest news on dining, getaways, plus our gardens, shops and much beside, head to our Visit section.
Below are some selected highlights from our programme. For our full calendar of events, click here >
valentine’s at the white hart
Locally sourced, ethically produced and prepared with love! Two and three-course set menus available.
coming up at the barn cinema
Choose from a packed lineup across a broad range of genres, including Kenneth Branagh’s much-anticipated Belfast.
Glorious gardens
Take advantage of those early blooms with 25% off entry to our Grade II* Listed Gardens during the winter months.
Learning at Dartington
We offer transformative learning, at undergraduate and postgraduate level, delivered by world-class tutors in a truly unique campus experience.
Our learning is delivered through two faculties: Schumacher College, which has been at the forefront of engaging ecological, economic, and social challenges for over 30 years, and Dartington Arts School, which draws on our rich international heritage and our wealth of dance, theatre, music and art studios to deliver compelling courses for a fast-changing world.
We offer a variety of opportunities for part-time learning, with courses ranging from a few hours, to weekly classes, to longer residential experiences.
Schumacher College delivers a unique brand of small-group, residential experiences which embrace themes of ecology, wellbeing, and sustainability. Our programme of arts courses spans music, performance, writing, dance, and contemporary visual art. And a wide, exciting range of craft courses run year-round in collaboration with over 50 makers from across the south west and beyond.
A variety of other programmes run throughout the year – including four weeks of shared music making, learning and listening at our renowned Dartington Music Summer School & Festival.
Learning is the beating heart of our year-round programme of events, which spans genres from film to craft to exhibitions.
We programme a blend of virtual and in-person events, many of which are free or by donation. Throughout the year, you’ll also find festivals that focus on themes of arts, ecology and social justice.
Learning at Dartington is mainly delivered through the courses and events we offer year-round, but a range of resources are also available online to help get a flavour of what we offer.
Schumacher College has an wide range of talks and interviews available on their YouTube channel, and our long-running online Earth Talk series is also available in full to watch online.
You can read the latest learning-related news here, and explore the history of the estate online here.
Other resources include our Arts and Learning podcast channel, which includes playlists such as our Laser Talks – inspired by the school climate strikes, Dark Mountain and Extinction Rebellion.
Latest news & blogs
New Lane End development proposed
We are showcasing proposals for an innovative residential development, which will deliver 45 beautiful and highly energy-efficient homes including 30% affordable dwellings.
Thriving together at the Oxford Real Farming Conference
Last week the ORFC brought together thousands to discuss ecological approaches to farming and food production, including many of us at Schumacher College.
Planning our growing spaces for 2022
Find out from our Head Gardener, Colum Pawson, how he goes about planning what to grow next season and where.
celebrating 30 years of schumacher college
A programme of events and initiatives to mark 30 years of leading the way in transformative education – spearheaded by our Bursary Campaign, which aims to equip the next generation with the tools to address the social, environmental and economic challenges we all face.
Follow us
Follow Dartington Hall’s social media exploits for regular updates on all our events and activity
“There are boundaries in nature. There are rivers, forests, escarpments, ravines and mountain ranges; there are cellulose walls. But these boundaries are in fact areas of transaction, semi-permeable membranes. The notion that a perimeter should be impenetrable is a human contrivance alone.”
- Nick Hayes, The Book of Trespass
Spotted in the Dartington shop... 👀
We’re excited to be hosting a week-long course with Nick Hayes himself here at Dartington 22 - 27 May. We’ll be writing, making art, canoeing on the River Dart, and deepening our relationship with nature and each other. If you’re curious to find out more and join us, you’ll find out more via dartington.org/shortcourses or the “Short Courses” button in our profile. Look for “Landscapes of Freedom - Nick Hayes”! 🍃 🏔 🛶
@nickhayesillustration
#wildnernessculture #thewildnesstonic #dartington #nickhayes #thebookoftrespass #naturewriting #devonheaven #visitdevon
Wine lovers, vineyard owners, and all regenerative growing-curious souls, something rather special is happening here at Dartington in March that you'll want to put in your diary: our two-day residential course on Regenerative Agriculture for Grape Growers is now open for bookings, and is happening Monday 21 - Tuesday 22 March.
Learn about some of the ecological problems associated with mainstream farming, and the solutions a regenerative approach can offer us. Together, we'll explore best practices for growing delicious sustainable wine in the UK's uniquely damp and cool climate, and discover how to steer the UK's wine industry towards a more sustainable future.🍇
You'll have the opportunity to see regenerative growing in action on-site at Schumacher College, as well as enjoy a range of wine served with our dinner on Monday evening.
Book now to avoid disappointment! 🍷
More info via the "Short courses" button at the link in our bio, or via dartington.org/shortcourses
@sharpham_wine @riverford
#britishwine #englishwine #regenerativeagriculture #sustainablefood #sustainablefoodsystems #sustainablefoodproduction #viticulture
Calling all veg growers (or wannabe veg growers!), with gardens large, small, and everywhere in between. Do you want to learn about garden planning and design, crop rotation, which tasks to do by season in your garden, compost-making, and more?
We're thrilled to announce that our popular Sustainable Growing online course is back this year, running from March - August, and you can enrol online now via our website - dartington.org/shortcourses - or check out the "Short courses" button via the link in our bio.
This is a really special, hands-on interactive course with live video and photo content, community, support, and regular Zoom sessions with our Head Gardener.
Here's what a participant from 2020's course said about the experience: "This is my first year ever of vegetable growing and I have been totally amazed by what I have achieved. This course has definitely taught me so much in such a short period of time and even friends and family are asking me questions about their own veg growing. So the influence goes even further than the members of the course."
#schumachercollege #dartington #vegetablegarden #growers #vegetablegardening #eatyourveggies #eatyourgreens #growyourownfood
The Barn Cinema is proud to present Sonita Gale’s award-winning documentary, an uncomfortable and necessary exploration into the UK government’s treatment of some of the most marginalised and vulnerable members of its society.
www.dartington.org/hostile-12a
Gale’s documentary uncovers the fragility of immigrant living, which lies in outrageous antithesis to the reliance the UK places on immigration workers, many of whom were forced into destitution by unrelenting refusals of support from the government during the pandemic. Hostile explores the historic alienation of the globally precarious and the vulnerable, backed up by poignant lyrics from @georgethepoet.
Directed by Sonita Gale and executive-produced by award-winning musician @nitinsawhney, Hostile is a powerfully executed directorial debut. It explores the pain of what it means to say that somewhere is your home, only to be told in response that no, it is not.
www.dartington.org/hostile-12a
This film is the first in the Barn's "Reflect" season of films that reflect on, and ask questions about the biggest social justices issues facing currently facing us. Look out for a Reflect film in ever month's programme January- September 2022.
#hostiledocumentary #hostiledoc