News From May 2017

Lukesland Gardens Visit

Posted in Events on Monday 8th May 2017 at 10:01pm

On Friday 5th May twenty-three members thoroughly enjoyed a wonderful Spring day visit to Lukesland Gardens at Harford. The gardens are owned by Rosemary Howell who is ably assisted by her son, John and his wife Lorna.

The weather was perfect with partial sun and clear skies and the beautiful colours of the Camellias, Rhododendrons, Azaleas, Magnolias and a wealth of internationally sourced trees made it a truly unforgettable experience.

The Lukesland Estate consists of a total of 24 acres and rather amazingly the gardens are maintained by members of the Howell Family and only two part-time gardeners.

Due to spasmodic flooding from the Addicombe Brook which flows through the Estate in a North/South direction there has been a certain amount of remodelling in the garden where we thoroughly enjoyed seeing the Brook cascading over various waterfalls and filling ornamental pools before eventually joining the River Erme.

At the end of the afternoon we all congregated in the “Old Billiard Room” for a very welcome cup of tea and a slice of homemade cake. Everyone agreed it had been a very special visit and is without doubt one of Dartmoor’s best kept secrets.

Dartmoor Society AGM 2017

Posted in Events on Monday 8th May 2017 at 9:58pm

On the afternoon of Saturday the 22nd April 2017, 30 Dartmoor Society members congregated at Yelverton Memorial Hall for the 19th Annual General Meeting.

Before the business proceedings, Tom Stratton, Deputy Land Steward, Western District, Duchy of Cornwall presented on “Managing the Duchy of Cornwall Estate on Dartmoor”.

At the close of the AGM business the Annual Dartmoor Society Award 2017 was presented to John Tuffnell, Treasurer of Kelly Mine Preservation Society based near Lustleigh. The mine closed in 1951, however since 1984 a small group of dedicated volunteers have worked tirelessly, year in year out, to carefully conserve, maintain and restore it to its present day first class condition, ensuring that it is now one of the finest examples of preserved rural industry of its kind in the country.

At the end of the afternoon we all tucked into a delicious tea prepared by the Executive Committee giving everyone a chance to eat, drink and socialise.