Graham bench cropped 1024x502 - Prisoner Training & Placements

8  August 2024 –

LandWorks has been commissioned by Marian Ash, granddaughter of Dorothy and Leonard Elmhirst, to recreate a series of arts and crafts garden benches for Dartington Hall to a design which first graced the estate in the 1930’s.

Called the ‘Alcove Garden Seat’, the original bench was designed by Rex Gardner, who was then in charge of the estate craft workshop. The story of how LandWorks came to replicate the garden furniture using locally sourced elm is a fascinating one.

“My husband and I are currently in the process of downsizing,” explained Marian, who lives in Harbertonford. “In the process of clearing out I came across a Gardens Catalogue produced by Dartington Hall in 1935 which listed not only hundreds of plants for sale through four different plant nurseries on the estate at the time, but also garden furniture being made at the Dartington sawmills from timber off the estate. My grandfather had the Gardens Catalogue bound for my mother’s birthday in 1965.  I thought to myself, Neville Evans (Dartington’s head gardener) could do with this catalogue so I gave it to him.”

Amongst the many other items Marian had stored on her farm were numerous planks of elm from trees that had come down in the 1987 storm. They had been sitting quietly in a barn ever since and it occurred to her that the elm could be put to good use on the Dartington estate.

“When Marian mentioned she had the timber, we immediately thought of the Alcove benches,” said Neville, taking up the story. “Not only are they quintessentially Dartington, having been designed on, and for, the estate, but the few we have left are coming to the end of their useful lives, having been restored and repaired to the point of no return. Given Marian’s connection to the estate, we felt it would be a fitting way to help keep Dartington’s past alive. The Alcove benches are part of our history, and you can feel the quality when you sit on them. Marian has been really supportive of what we are doing in the gardens, and her offer to supply the timber for the benches, and cover LandWorks’ production costs, is incredibly generous.”

The Alcove Garden Seat was so called because when three of the seats were placed together, the set fitted a semi-circular recess with the arms forming  small tables. As well as being placed around the estate gardens, it was advertised in the Garden Catalogue as “one of the most popular pieces of our garden furniture. The arm rests can also be used for glasses, books etc. These seats are strong, handsome, unusually comfortable, and can be easily dismantled for winter storage.”

Marian, who spent much of her childhood on the Dartington Estate where she went to school, remembers the seats well. “I particularly remember the very generous armrests, which Graham has achieved absolutely beautifully. I also remember them being situated all around the spring walks. A lot of those sites, or enclosures if you like, were where the benches were placed so that you could enjoy the views through valley field and down to the Dart.”

Furniture making ceased on the Dartington Estate in 1952; but when LandWorks was established on its Quarry Field site in 2014, woodworking quickly became one of the main activities of the resettlement project, which provides a supported route back into employment and the community for people leaving prison, or at risk of going to prison. Today, LandWorks’ own range of garden furniture is a key revenue earner for the charity – not least its popular picnic benches which you can also find on the Dartington estate, outside the White Hart Pub & Restaurant.

Graham, who runs the LandWorks wood shop, said it is a privilege to be asked by Marian to recreate the  Dartington furniture. “We didn’t have the original templates, so it was a case of working it out from the drawings in the catalogue. Both the seat and the back rest are angled for comfort, and it took a while to get it right, but after some trial and error we perfected it. It really is a comfy seat. We are hoping there will be enough elm to make eight new benches for visitors to the Dartington gardens and estate.” The benches are being made by Graham and the trainees currently attending LandWorks, all part of the project’s aim of helping people to build the skills and confidence to start a new life.

The first of the Alcove benches are set to appear around Dartington Hall’s Grade 2 listed gardens over the summer. Once the series is complete, Graham and the team are planning to make the Alcove bench available to individual order, and perhaps to resurrect some of the other beautiful arts and craft designs in the Gardens Catalogue.

LandWorks’ garden furniture, including picnic benches, garden and memorial benches, chairs, tables and log stores, is available to view and buy at their new garden furniture display area at Quarry Field, Dartington. One-off  furniture items can be made to commission. You can also buy a selection of hand-crafted wooden chopping boards, turned bowls, bird houses and more at the LandWorks shop. For more information call 01803 864891 or enquire here.