High Cross House |
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High Cross House was completed in 1932 as the home for the first headmaster if Dartington Hall School, William Burnlee Curry. The house was designed by the Swiss-American architect William Lescaze and is regarded as one of his most important and successful commissions. Built by Staverton Builders (then a department of The Dartington Hall Trust) it displays much of the architectural vocabulary typical of Lescaze - the two rectilinear blocks joined by a curved form and bold use of colour (both inside and out). Lescaze planned the interior finishes and furnishings with care. He specified the interior colour scheme as well as the use of different woods around the house which caused the cost of the house to rise outside its original contract price of £4,974!
The house is furnished of the period and includes pieces by Alvar Aalto, Gerald Summers and furniture made at Dartington 
in the modern idiom as well as the original sofas designed by Lescaze.
A superb example of International Modernism, High Cross House was restored and reopened in 1995 as a home to the Dartington Hall Trust Collection and Archive. The collection which had originally been that of the Elmhirsts, includes Studio Ceramics and early Chinese and Korean ceramics (which were bought on the advice of Bernard Leach). Potters represented include Bernard Leach, David Leach, Shoji Hamada, Lucie Rie and Hans Coper as well as Jane Fox-Strangways and Marianne de Trey. The collection also includes significant paintings by Ben Nicholson and Christopher Wood.
In the 1930s and early 40s the Dartington Hall estate was home to the artists Elizabeth and Cecil Collins and Mark Tobey who are strongly represented in the collection.
The house also houses The Dartington Hall Trust Archive, which is open to researchers throughout the year.
General Information:
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Opening Times
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(2007 times)
1st May to 26th October:Tuesday to Friday 2.00pm - 4.30pm. Closed Mondays, Weekends & Public Holidays. 24th July to 31st August: Tuesday to Friday 10.30am - 12.30pm. Heritage Open Day: Saturday 8th September 10.00am - 12.30pm and 2.00pm - 4.30pm. Group visits by arrangement at other times. |
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Admission Charges
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(2007 prices)
Adult £3.50; Concessions £2.50.
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Directions
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| High Cross House is on the Dartington Hall estate, 2 miles from Totnes on the A384/A385. Heading from Plymouth take the A385 exit on the A38, and from Exeter take the A384 from Buckfastleigh. |
| Show map of High Cross House... |
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High Cross House Postcode for SatNav: TQ9 6ED |
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Nearby Attractions
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Totnes Castle
(1 Mile)*
Totnes Castle is a unique treasure in an area rich with character and history. It is one of the best surviving examples of a Norman motte and bailey castle. |
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Berry Pomeroy Castle
(1 Mile)*
This former home of the Pomeroy and Seymour families, in a beautiful woodland setting, is shrouded in sinister folklore and legend. |
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Totnes Guildhall
(1 Mile)*
In 1206 King John granted a charter to Totnes making it a free town. It could then draw up its own laws. The merchants also obtained permission to set up their own Guild, which by the middle of the 13th century had 120 members. |
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Nearby Hotels
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Nearby Self Catering
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