Elmhirst Heritage Centre

Visitor Information

For information on getting to our beautiful estate (whether by foot, car, or public transport), click here.

On arrival please head to the Welcome Centre, located under the arch at the entrance to the Courtyard. If you have booked tickets in advance, a tour guide will be waiting to meet you and will take you over to the Elmhirst Heritage Centre. If you are booking on the day, you can also book tickets at the Welcome Centre desk. 

Accessibility 

We regret that due to the heritage nature of the building, the Elmhirst Heritage Centre is not currently accessible for wheelchairs. We are dedicated to inclusivity and working on finding a solution.

We offer relaxed slots for our temporary exhibitions. Please get in contact with us at archiveinfo@dartington.org to arrange these.

Guide dogs are permitted.

About the Elmhirst Heritage Centre: 

History

When Leonard Elmhirst first visited Dartington in March 1925, the property was still in the ownership of the Champernownes, who had owned the Hall since 1559. The cost of running the estate had left Dartington in a difficult state: the family had moved out in 1921 and left the building empty, the Great Hall was without its roof, the kitchen block had fallen down, and rats could be heard scampering around the abandoned private quarters at night. In the January 23rd 1969 issue of Country Life, Christopher Hussey described the ‘picturesque desolation’ of the scene, noting ‘the Great Hall and its kitchen were roofless, turf a century old covered their floors, and the whole place seemed as if about to be let go.’ Leonard, however, declared Dartington a ‘veritable fairyland,’ and saw an opportunity to restore the Hall and set up the building as a home for his new family and his and Dorothy’s social, economic and cultural experiment in rural reconstruction.

To complete the work, a Dartington-based Engineering and Building department was established, later becoming Staverton Contractors Ltd. Mains water and electrics were installed, and sewage works were built to replace earth closets. Whilst they waited for their new home to be ready, the Elmhirsts stayed in the Seymour Hotel, and later a Victorian house called ‘Elmsleigh’ in Totnes, finally moving in after the first stage of works were completed in September 1926. This would be their family home until Dorothy’s death in 1968. 

The art collection 

As an avid collector and patron of art, Dorothy Elmhirst used the staircases and walls of this rejuvenated private residence as spaces to display her collection. These pieces were significant even in an contemporary context: the Dartington Hall Trust archive contains several loan agreements, including with the City Art Gallery, Manchester, and the American British Art Center, New York. Following Dorothy’s death in 1968, her former personal secretary, Mary Bride Nicholson, took on the role of caring for the works on display and managing their many visitors.

Today, Dartington still holds a rich collection of Modern British and American art, including works by Winifred Nicholson, Christopher Wood, and Bernard Leach. A particular highlight of the Centre is an intriguing portrait of Dorothy, painted as a young woman in ancestral Pilgrim dress by Walter Dean Goldbeck in 1912. By returning the works to their original and intended home, the new Elmhirst Centre reflects the spirit of the Elmhirsts’ approach to collecting and curating. However, there is one crucial difference: whilst individuals in the 20th century were allowed to view these artworks by invitation, in 2025 this collection is open to all as a ticketed experience.