Historic Devon Garden Reopening to Support Award Winning Charity
The owners of the Sandridge Park estate near Stoke Gabriel in South Devon will be opening their beautiful gardens to the public in aid of LandWorks for two days at the start of June. 10 acres of
formal gardens, walled gardens, orchards and woodland walks within a stunning 150-acre estate overlooking the River Dart will be available to explore and enjoy.
The event follows a very successful weekend opening in May last year which saw almost 700 people visit the estate and raised £20,000 for the charity.
The estate has a long and interesting history. At one point owned by Sir Walter Raleigh, the estate was developed in the early 19th century when Lady Ashburton commissioned one of the foremost architects of the time, John Nash, to build the Grade 2* listed house that stands on the estate today. The house was sold for re-development in 1937 but escaped demolition; subsequently both
the house and gardens were requisitioned by US forces during World War 2 to prepare for D-Day. The estate passed through a number of hands until was acquired by the current owners, Mark and Rosemary Yallop, in 2006. The estate has been lovingly restored since then, with Country Life Magazine describing it as having had an “inspirational renaissance”.
The Open Gardens weekend is being held in aid of LandWorks, a specialist rehabilitation and resettlement charity based on the Dartington Hall estate near Totnes. It provides a supported route back into employment and the community for people leaving prison or serving community sentences and at risk of going to prison, working closely with local prison and probation services. In
2024, LandWorks won the top award at the prestigious Civil Society Media Charity Awards.
The Sandridge Park gardens will be open to the public on Saturday 6th June and Sunday 7th June between 11am and 5pm each day. Entry will be £8 for adults, £15 for couples and free for
accompanied children. Dogs on leads welcome. There will be plenty of parking available on site. Refreshments will be available, and visitors are welcome to bring a picnic. A range of beautiful
crafts and produce made and grown by LandWorks participants will be available to buy, with all proceeds supporting the charity. And this year an additional relatively easy-going long riverside
walk will be marked out on the estate for visitors to enjoy.
Thanks to a generous supporter, the first £5,000 raised by the event will be matched funded, meaning the money raised will be doubled for the charity.
Rosemary Yallop said, “We are so pleased to open the gardens again in support of LandWorks. Last year was a huge success and it was lovely to see so many visitors of all ages enjoying the garden and grounds. LandWorks is an inspiring local charity which makes a real difference and we are delighted to be able to support them.”
Chris Parsons, LandWorks Director, said, “It is very kind of Mark and Rosemary to open their beautiful gardens again in aid of LandWorks. Last year was hugely enjoyable and we are very
grateful to everyone involved in making this event happen again. All proceeds will go towards running the charity, helping people to start a new life, stop reoffending and ultimately make our
communities safer.”