From 1 November 2025:
Dancing in Utopia: 1930s Dance at Dartington
Elmhirst Heritage Centre
Welcome to the Elmhirst Heritage Centre, our new indoor visitor destination at Dartington Hall |  |
Temporary Exhibition: Dancing in Utopia: 1930s Dance at Dartington (from 1 November)
After Leonard and Dorothy Elmhirst’s purchase of Dartington Hall in 1925, dance soon became an important part of their project of rural and cultural regeneration. Classes, choreography, performance and personalities all played their part as leading dance and theatre figures: Margaret Barr; Louise Soelberg; Michael Chekhov; Uday Shankar, and the Jooss Ballet took up residences on the Estate.
The ‘Dancing in Utopia’ exhibition of iconic photographs is drawn from our archive, with many by the German-born photographer Fritz Henle. It brings to life the vibrancy, joy and experimentation of the early years of dance at Dartington and shows what an important place Dartington holds in the history of 20th century dance.
Dancing in Utopia Booking Information
This exhibition runs from November 2025 to February 2026*.
All temporary exhibitions are included in the guided tours of the Elmhirst Heritage Centre (see below). You can also book to visit the temporary exhibition only (unguided) in one of three, hourly time-slots available on Tuesdays and Saturdays.
*Excludes 21 December 2025 to 2 January 2026. |
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Elmhirst Heritage Centre Booking Information - tour times and time slots
All Heritage Centre tours are led by our knowledgeable volunteer guides and last for approximately one and a quarter hours.
Tour tickets include the current temporary exhibition. Tours run at 10.30am and 2.30pm on Tuesdays, 11am and 2pm on Thursdays and 11am and 2.30pm on Saturdays.
Our temporary exhibition time slots run at midday and 1pm on Tuesdays and 1pm on Saturdays. Booking tours and time slots are done online or in person at the Welcome Centre. Both tours and time slots meet promptly at the Welcome Centre. Please note that we cannot guarantee entry to a tour or time slot in progress if you arrive after the allotted time.
Group bookings:
If you would be interested in arranging a group tour (up to 12 people), please email museum@dartington.org
School bookings:
Please contact museum@dartington.org
Private bookings: Price on application. Please contact museum@dartington.org | |
| Tickets | Full Tour *including temporary exhibition | Temporary Exhibition |
|---|---|---|
| Adult 16+ | £12 | £8 |
| Concessions | £10.50 | £7 |
| Member | £10 | £6.50 |
| Child (12-16) | £8 | £6 |
| Child (under 12) | FREE please book a ticket | FREE please book a ticket |
| Family Ticket | £35 | - |
| Dartington Members | Select Adult tickets - discount applies automatically at checkout | |
| Family Ticket | Select 2 x Adult + 2 x Child 12-16 | |
| Concessions | Over 65s, students, universal credit. Please present proof of eligibility on arrival | |
| Carers | Free entry is also available to carers, please email boxoffice@dartington.org | |
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.
Due to the presence of stairs, we also advise visitors with mobility limitations to review the visual guide below to make an informed choice.
Please check the link below to read our Visual Story:
Elmhirst Heritage Centre Visual Story v2
We offer relaxed slots for our temporary exhibitions. Please get in contact with us at archiveinfo@dartington.org to arrange these.
Assistance 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 c.1913. 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.
