Title: Visitors Department
Level: Series
RefNo: T/VIS
Extent: 1 box
Dates: c1927-1980

History: From the beginning of the Dartington Hall experiment in 1925, the public took an interest in the activities of the estate. Visiting groups included parties from conferences being held in Torquay and elsewhere in Devon, and also professional societies with an obvious interest in some of the functions of the Trust, often education, horticulture, forestry and agriculture. A permit system was established during the 1920s, providing visitors with freedom to roam the estate. However it was found that this led to lost work time as visitors were bothering estate employees with questions.

During the 1930s, the Dartington Hall estate became a destination for the general public in the southwest of England. By 1936 the estate was receiving a thousand casual visitors a day in summer. The Trust employed 'guide interpreters' to manage tours visiting Dartington Hall and its departments.

Tours for visiting groups were provided by interpreters C H O Pearson and Ernest Isherwood in the 1930s. Trust public relations and records officer Robin Johnson managed visitors to the estate from 1946 until 1975, when the function became the responsibility of interpretation officer Mark Kidel.

Description: Trust records relating to visitors to the Dartington Hall estate. Includes maps and a permit pass dating from 1931, basic information about Dartington and departments of the Trust, and correspondence between J V (Vic) Elmhirst and Leonard Elmhirst, as well as with touring groups. Other papers include annual reports on visitors written by estate guides. Records after 1946 include statistical information for visitors to the estate and policy papers.