DISCOVER A HIVE OF CULTURE AND CREATIVITY

CULTURE VULTURES ASSEMBLE! THIS REGION OFFERS THE PERFECT MIX OF GALLERIES, MUSEUMS, EXHIBITIONS AND FESTIVALS

From modern arts centres to literary trails to historic seaside theatres, South Devon lays on something for every culture lover. Whether you’re exploring the cities of Exeter and Plymouth or sunning yourself on the English Riviera you’ll find plenty to get your creative juices flowing.

VARIED PERFORMANCES

If you’re after the buzz of live performance, you won’t be disappointed. In South Devon you can check out theatre, comedy, dance and more.

Your first stop should be the Exeter Phoenix. It has a rich offering including exhibition spaces, a media centre, a radio station, artists’ studios and a café/bar where you can sit down for some tasty locally sourced food. And then there’s music: the auditorium at the Phoenix has hosted acts as diverse as Jah Wobble, Lee Scratch Perry and Sam Lee, while Soundlaunch sessions help develop new young talent in the area.

Elsewhere in the city, head to the University of Exeter, where Exeter Northcott Theatre and the Great Hall thrill the crowds with a programme of contemporary dance, drama, comedy, classical music and opera.

Visitors to Torquay can take in a show at the modern Princess Theatre, or head to the Babbacombe Theatre, where showbiz legend Sir Bruce Forsyth launched his career in 1955. Just down the coast in Paignton, the lovely old Palace Theatre has been restored to feature plays by the local Bijou Theatre Productions as well as hosting visiting shows.

The naval town of Dartmouth is home to another haven for creativity: the Flavel Arts Centre. They host an array of live events including classical recitals, and there’s an art gallery, library and an arts café.

In Plymouth, the modern Theatre Royal has lively programme ranging from West End musicals to opera and ballet, while The Barbican Theatre puts on plays, comedy and music by young and up-and-coming performers.

People love a festival in South Devon. Come summertime there’s a wealth of fun to be had, whether you want to get on down to some local bands or stuff your face full of Devon produce.

The Dart Music Festival in May is a three-day affair, where 100 acts perform in venues ranging from a Victorian bandstand to the castle ramparts, the famous naval college and an 11th-century church. All performances and workshops are free, making this a uniquely generous and eclectic event.

Foodies should make a beeline for the Tavistock Street Food Festival, which also takes place in May, featuring food from around the world, a Pimm’s and gin bar and live music.

In the Georgian gem of Teignmouth, combine relaxing on the long sandy beach with listening to some tunes at the three-day Teignmouth Folk Festival, held in June.

Alongside established acts on the folk circuit you can take in Morris, Border and Appalachian acts.

The market town of Newton Abbot lays on a zany carnival week in June/July which involves a duck race, tractor pull and fun run.

Heading north towards the wild expanses of Dartmoor, the historic town of Bovey Tracey is the setting for an outstanding craft festival normally held in June, which features the work of 200 makers, including furniture designers, textile artists, silversmiths, potters, glass makers, jewellers and even 3D printers. There’s also live music and local food and ale on offer, and the festival puts a strong emphasis on joining in, with workshops, a pottery competition, knitting tent and a children’s craft area.

The railway resort of Dawlish hosts a carnival week in August culminating in a procession of floats, with plenty of sporting events and family-friendly fun around the edges, while in October, Dartmouth hosts a three-day food festival, focusing on chef demonstrations, workshops, food debates, and lots and lots of eating.

South Devon wears its creativity on its sleeve. Wherever you look there are galleries and arts centres showcasing the work of artists and makers from near and far.

The University of Exeter’s art gallery features changing displays from its large fine art collection including work by Lucian Freud and Bridget Riley, while a sculpture walk on the campus takes in pieces by Barbara Hepworth and Cornish artist Kurt Jackson.

There’s more fine art at Studio 36, a house/gallery in the St Leonard’s area of the city, where artistic collaboration is key. You can view and purchase paintings and pottery, as well as wander the wild sculpture garden hung with bikes and surreal objects.

To see antiquities, textiles, decorative art and fine art from across the world, including exhibitions of contemporary works, visit the city’s world-class cultural gem, the Royal Albert Memorial Museum.

Whatever time of year you’re in Bovey Tracey, don’t miss MAKE Southwest, which showcases work from the West Country’s best contemporary artists in airy, riverside stone barns. Their on-site café dishes up home-made seasonal food and artisan bread.

Dartmoor National Park is home to one of the most diverse and talented communities in the UK. The Dartmoor Artisan Trail is a self-guided art, craft and food trail that links the moor’s finest artists and craftspeople, giving the public the chance to glimpse behind the workshop walls and try their hand at traditional skills.

Right in the heart of Torquay you’ll find the Riviera’s oldest building, Torre Abbey. Founded back in 1196 as a monastery, it now displays a collection of 19th-century paintings by luminaries such as William Blake, Edward Burne-Jones and William Holman Hunt. Contemporary art is on show at Artizan Gallery, which showcases a variety of work by local artists, as well as hosting music and poetry evenings.

Inland from Torquay, ancient Totnes has an alternative reputation and a lively arts scene to match. The town showcases local art in October each year with the Totnes & Dartington Open Studios. Visit and you can check out works by painters, ceramicists, sculptors, printmakers, jewellers and weavers in artists’ homes and studios across town.

Dartington Hall sits just to the north of town and houses a trust focusing on the arts, ecology, enterprise and social justice. You can take part in craft workshops from leatherworking to furniture restoration and shop for locally made products.

Little Kingsbridge is home to the Harbour House Centre for Arts and Yoga, which has a gallery displaying local work, a healthy veggie café and a secluded garden. If you want to make things practical there are three yoga studios, and the centre puts on regular art classes.

If you’re craving big city art attractions head west to Plymouth. The newest draw is The Box, an exciting reinvention of the former city museum which has added a glittering cube extension to the existing galleries.

This new museum and galleries take you on a trip from prehistory to the present day. Check out prehistoric artefacts from Dartmoor as well as local Bronze and Iron Age finds. Or learn more about the country’s great migration at an exhibit on the Mayflower Pilgrims.

The impressive art collection includes oil paintings by Sir Joshua Reynolds as well as pieces from artists belonging to the Newlyn School and the St Ives group. There are also works by Turner, Degas, Burne-Jones, Millais, Stanley Spencer and Paul Nash.

Plymouth Arts Cinema describes itself as the city’s cultural HQ, and it doesn’t disappoint. It’s a lively space dedicated to supporting contemporary visual art, creative learning and arthouse cinema. The centre has been around for 50 years, and has an impressive list of past exhibitors including Patrick Heron, Allen Ginsberg, Peter Greenaway, Ralph Steadman, Andy Goldsworthy, Tracey Emin and Terry Frost.

Crime fiction fans rejoice! Torquay’s town museum has a whole gallery dedicated to legendary author Agatha Christie. You can wander round Poirot’s Art Deco study

OPPOSITE and lounge and see letters and memorabilia associated with the world’s best-selling author. The museum also has an Explorer’s Gallery, with treasures including an ancient Egyptian mummy, as well as a cosy recreation of an 1860s Devon farmhouse.

Throughout the English Riviera you’ll find a plethora of Agatha Christie activities, with murder mystery parties, a literary trail and a September festival in Torquay. But the one sight that fans shouldn’t miss is Greenway House, a Georgian mansion which sits on the River Dart near Galmpton, south of Paignton.

Now owned by the National Trust, this was Christie’s home from 1938 to her death, a place she touchingly described as ‘the loveliest in the world’. It was the setting for three of her novels: Five Little Pigs, Dead Man’s Folly and Ordeal by Innocence. The spacious riverside gardens are lushly laid out with southern hemisphere plants, and the café serves Devon cream teas. You can also pick up second-hand books here.

Over in Plymouth, the Mayflower Museum which explores the turbulent 1620 journey of the Pilgrim Fathers, all the way from Rotherhithe via Plymouth across the Atlantic to the New World.

From its lively calendar of festivals and events to its diverse community of artists and makers to its fascinating museums, South Devon has a wealth of culture to experience – so get out there and explore!