Sandridge Barton

Site footer states: Daily - 10am - 5pm | Except Friday & Saturday - 10am - 8pm. Previous entry incorrectly extended the late hours to Sunday as well.

Opening hours can change for private events — it's always worth checking the vineyard's website before you visit.

What's the vibe?

Book train tickets in advance via Trainline.

• Other Vineyards:
  • Brickhouse Vineyard
  • Kenton Park Estate & Vineyard
• Notable Restaurants:
  • The Cott Inn – Historic inn with regional cuisine near Dartington.
  • The Maltsters Arms – Riverside pub and restaurant in the Dart Valley.
• Notable Hotels:
  • Royal Seven Stars Hotel – Historic hotel in the centre of Totnes.
  • Burgh Island Hotel – Art Deco island hotel with coastal views.
• Notable Attractions:
  • Dartmouth Steam Railway & River Boat – Scenic heritage journeys in South Devon.
  • Dartington Estate – Historic estate with gardens, woodlands and cultural events.

Before the vines, before the winery, Sandridge Barton was the birthplace of one of Elizabethan England’s great explorers. John Davis was born here around 1550, and went on to become one of Elizabeth I’s most trusted navigators - leading three expeditions in search of the Northwest Passage, charting the coastline of Greenland, and becoming the first Englishman to sight the Falkland Islands in 1592.

Davis also invented the backstaff, a navigational instrument that replaced the cross-staff and allowed sailors to measure the sun’s altitude without looking directly at it. It remained standard equipment on English ships for well over a century. His childhood neighbours were Humphrey and Adrian Gilbert - and their famous half-brother was none other than Walter Raleigh.

The estate has changed considerably since the sixteenth century, but the name - and the ground - remain the same. There’s something quietly pleasing about swirling a glass of Madeleine Angevine on land that once sent a man off to chart the edges of the known world.

Sharpham Wine, one of Devon’s oldest commercial vineyards, was originally made on the nearby Sharpham Estate near Totnes, where vines were first planted in the 1980s. When the long-running tenancy there ended in 2020, production moved to Sandridge Barton - three kilometres downriver near Stoke Gabriel - and the wine was relaunched under the estate’s new name.