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A Dartmoor Conversation: Chris Chapman and Alan Endacott on 6000 years of people and places.For thousands of years, man has shaped Dartmoor. Photographer Chris Chapman and archaeologist Alan Endacott have been studying life in this compelling upland landscape since the early 1970s. From Chris’s work documenting contemporary residents, to Alan’s study of our prehistoric ancestors and the archaeology they left behind, they have fascinating perspectives on Dartmoor, its people and its places.
Chris and Alan will be in conversation with Sophie Pierce.
Chris Chapman is a photographer, filmmaker and author who has been documenting life on Dartmoor for over fifty years. His new book Hallowed Earth: A Lifetime in Photography, contains over 200 images from his personal archive, as well as personal reflections, and highlights the social and environmental changes that Dartmoor is undergoing.
Alan Endacott is an independent archaeologist who discovered the Sittaford Stone Circle in 2007, the first such discovery on Dartmoor in a century. He has since gone on to find more ancient remains, most recently the Metheral stone circle, the Irishman's Wall stone circle and a fallen dolmen, both near Belstone. He was the founder-Curator of the Museum of Dartmoor Life.
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Dartmoor Tors Festival 30 April – 4 May 2026
This is part of the second Dartmoor Tors Festival, happening at various places around Dartmoor. Tickets for festival events at Ashburton Arts Centre are all available at wegottickets.com/dartmoortorsfestival2026. All of the festival goings on are listed at dartmoortorsfestival.co.uk.
The daytime events at the Arts Centre generally last for an hour, with doors opening 15 minutes before the advertised start time.
The festival celebrates the culture of Dartmoor and explores our emotional connection with wild, ancient places. Artists, musicians, writers, archaeologists, campaigners and historians will be sharing their perspectives in a range of events including talks, walks, workshops, concerts and performances.
We kick off with the mesmerising Cole Stacey playing live at Ashburton Arts Centre on Thursday 30 April. On Friday night, 1 May, the thrilling dark folk band, Craven, will be playing, and on Saturday 2 May we have the Mercury Prize-nominated Gwenno. Throughout the weekend, from Friday 1 May through to Sunday 3rd there will be talks and conversations at the main venue, Ashburton Arts Centre, and at the Field System Gallery next door, covering everything from natural witchcraft, nature recovery, mythology and poetry to the visual arts. There will also be walks all over Dartmoor, taking in everything from archaeology to ancient legends, and birdsong to storytelling. There will be free events, including Morris dancing on the Saturday afternoon outside Ashburton Arts Centre and an exhibition at Field System Gallery. On Sunday afternoon, 3 May, the festival will culminate with a new community event, Gudula’s Gathering, incorporating a procession and a well-dressing, in which everyone is invited to take part.
For capacity reasons, all events are ticketed individually. Everything at Ashburton Arts Centre has three prices to suit different pockets – please pay what you can. Choose the lower-priced tickets if you want to attend lots of events. Everything happening at Ashburton Arts Centre can be booked via the links on this page; events elsewhere can be booked via the main festival website: dartmoortorsfestival.co.uk
Doors and bar open at 7pm
Tickets £12 full price, £10 or £7 if you prefer. Please pay what you can. NB A limited number of the lower-priced tickets are available for this event.
Book at wegottickets.com/ashburtonarts (+10% fee) or email [email protected] to reserve and pay on the door.
Ashburton Arts Centre: always three prices – please pay what you can.
Ashburton Arts Centre
Always three prices – please pay what you can. Pay less, come to more! See <a href="https://ashburtonarts.org.uk/access-booking-tickets-parking-finding-us/">Access, Tickets & Finding Us</a> for more about why there are three ticket prices, plus other useful info about coming to events at Ashburton Arts Centre.
Level access from street – please contact us on [email protected] if a wheelchair space is needed, or if you have any other special requirements.
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Event Venue
Ashburton Arts Centre, Newton Abbot, United Kingdom
Tickets
Concerts, fests, parties, meetups - all the happenings, one place.
