Dartington Gardens Tour
Discover the history of Dartington Hall and its Grade II* Listed Gardens on a tour with local historian Rosemary Griggs. In this gentle stroll round the gardens, Rosemary will introduce some of the people who, over the centuries, created the Dartington we see today and will point out the heritage, beauty, and historical features of the magnificent buildings and gardens.
With its early beginnings in ancient times, Dartington has been a Royal Manor; the home for more than 400 years of one of Devon’s most prestigious families; the site of a utopian experiment linking agriculture, education, the arts and social justice; an innovative institution for arts education, and is now a visitor destination and charity supporting learning in arts, ecology, and social justice. The gardens we see today, developed with input from a stellar cast of 20th-century garden designers, are rich in history and home to some of the most impressive champion trees in the region.
* The tour lasts around an hour to an hour and a half.
* Meet at the archway.
Rosemary Griggs is an historian and author and has been researching Devon’s history, with a particular focus on the sixteenth century, for years. She tells the stories of the forgotten women—the women beyond the royal court; wives, sisters, daughters and mothers who played their part during the tumultuous Tudor years: the Daughters of Devon. Her novel, A Woman of Noble Wit, tells the story of Sir Walter Raleigh’s mother. The Dartington Bride, the extraordinary story of Lady Gabrielle Roberda Montgomery who came to Elizabethan England to marry into one of Devon’s most prominent and well-connected families will be published in spring 2024. Rosemary creates and wears sixteenth-century clothing, a passion which complements her love for bringing the past to life through a unique blend of theatre, history and re-enactment. Her appearances and talks for museums and community groups all over the West Country draw on her extensive research into sixteenth-century Devon, Tudor life and Tudor dress, particularly Elizabethan. Out of costume, Rosemary leads heritage tours of the gardens at Dartington Hall.
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