Aims of the Society

The Dartmouth and Kingswear Society is dedicated to the preservation and enhancement of the historic town of Dartmouth and the villages of Kingswear, Blackawton, Dittisham, Stoke Fleming and Strete, the River Dart and the neighbouring coastline and countryside of the county of Devon, UK.

The concerns of the Society include the conservation of both the architecture and form of the built environment and the natural beauty of the district together with the maintenance of a viable local economy in keeping with the character and history of the area.

Non-members are welcome to attend The Flavel talks for a ‘donation’ of £5 or pay £7 to become a member. Use Contact Us to send a committee member a message. Choose a recipient.

Prof Andrew Jackson - Lucian Pissaro’s Blackpool Vale paintings presentation

A large and appreciative audience attended the second of our Autumn talks at the Flavel on 8th October 2024. We had invited members of the u3a History of Art Group and The Dartmouth and Kingswear Arts Society to join us and there were several drop-ins from people who had seen our local advertisements. Professor Andrew Jackson, of Bishop Grosseteste University, returned to give us an update on his research into Lucien Pissarro and his Blackpool Vale paintings during the period 1913-22. This was a fascinating update on his research on Lucien Pissarro’s Blackpool Vale paintings and reflected the fieldwork undertaken in order to locate the setting for each painting, the reading of letters written to family while in Devon, plus investigations into what has happened since to those paintings. Professor Jackson had explored the area and taken photographs which, during his talk, he put up alongside pictures of the original paintings to great effect. Professor Jackson has some more work to do on Lucien Pisssarro’s Dartmouth paintings and has promised to return in 2026 with his final report. Meanwhile we can look forward to our 12th November 2024 talk when Jonathan Turner will be telling us about The Ropewalks & Ropemakers of Dartmouth, 1330-1870. [Forthcoming events can be found elsewhere on this website under ‘Our Programme’ and subtitled ‘Events Calendar’.]