New Elmhirst Heritage Centre at Dartington Hall
Dartington Hall Trust is excited to announce the opening of its new indoor visitor destination, the Elmhirst Heritage Centre, on Saturday 16th August. The Centre will be a focal point for the Trust’s centenary celebrations this year, as it reflects on an important earlier phase of Dartington's journey and the vision set by the then owners, Dorothy and Leonard Elmhirst.
The Centre, located in the south west corner of the estate’s stunning medieval courtyard, will allow visitors to experience the period-refurbished former private residence of the Elmhirsts. This beautiful new space will exhibit Dartington’s core collection of Modern British and American paintings and ceramics to the public for the first time.
Open for bookable Heritage Tours on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays, from August to October 2025, the collection will be complemented by an exhibition showcasing the work of American master Mark Tobey, who was the first Artist in Residence at Dartington Hall in the 1930s. There will be a programme of quarterly changing temporary exhibitions to follow in the Centre’s first floor rooms.
The Elmhirst Heritage Centre is the result of a dedicated redevelopment programme for a fascinating collection of unused rooms of great significance in Dartington’s history. Modern British Art and Interior Design experts at the Jenna Burlingham Gallery, Kingsclere, have provided support in the Centre’s foundation, and advised on historically-in-keeping furniture and furnishings, informed by photographs in the Dartington Hall Trust Archive. Works from Dartington’s core collection, including those by Christopher Wood, Winifred and Ben Nicholson, Frances Hodgkins, Cecil Collins, Bernard Leach and Shōji Hamada, are being returned once more to their home in the new Centre. The restoration, including rewiring and a new security system, marks the highest degree of refurbishment in the building since Leonard and Dorothy Elmhirst acquired the Dartington Estate in 1925.
In addition to the Centre’s launch, Dartington’s centenary will be marked, over the course of more than 12 months from this summer, by a full programme of special events spanning history, art, film, music, social events and more.
Peter Nicholson, Dartington Hall Trust Arts Curator and Producer, commented: ‘After a difficult period of necessary restructuring of finances and activities, DHT is in a much stronger place with new tenants, partners and stakeholders. Within this growing vibrancy it’s great to be launching a new heritage and arts destination at the heart of Dartington celebrating the Elmhirsts’ unique utopian vision.’
Robert Fedder, interim CEO of Dartington Hall Trust, said: “We’re very proud to present the Centre as a high quality attraction to lead our centenary celebrations. The Trust is hugely grateful to Jenna Burlingham and her team for their valuable contribution to this project, not least the painstaking level of detail in their work. We’re delighted to be honouring the ‘Elmhirst period’ in style and very much hope that neighbours and local residents will enjoy the new Centre and all our festivities.”
The booking page for the Elmhirst Heritage Centre is now live here and tickets may also be booked on arrival at Dartington’s Welcome Centre. Tours of the Elmhirst Heritage Centre run on Tuesdays at 10:30am and 2:30pm, and on Thursdays and Saturdays at 11am and 2pm. Ticket prices include access to the temporary exhibitions. Visitors for the Mark Tobey exhibition exclusively may book a slot at 12pm or 1pm on Tuesdays only. For news of upcoming exhibitions, please follow whatson.dartington.org
