A La Ronde - An Afternoon Trip
This afternoon, Christine came over after work and we went to A La Ronde - a 16 sided house in Exmouth (near Exeter)
It was built for two spinster cousins, Jane and Mary Parminter, on their return from a grand tour of Europe in the late 18th century. It contains many objects and mementoes of their travels. They also built a Church nearby to work with poor children in the village. Both the ladies are buried there.
The extraordinary interior decoration includes a feather frieze, gathered from native game birds and chickens, laboriously stuck down with isinglass.
There is also a fragile shell-encrusted gallery, said to contain nearly 25,000 shells, which can be viewed in its entirety using a touch screen 360 degree virtual tour.
Until it went into the hands of The National Trust the house was passed through the family, going to single ladies only. Although one married while there, and brought her husband to live with her. He did many renovations including centarl heating, in late Victorian times.
A frieze they made of feathers -
I love how they managed to use the shape, squared off the rooms, but still utilised the odd shaped corners -
No one is allowed up to the Shell Gallery now, as it is too fragile -
Some of the work is also around the house -
The Church-
There are a few more pictures here
It was built for two spinster cousins, Jane and Mary Parminter, on their return from a grand tour of Europe in the late 18th century. It contains many objects and mementoes of their travels. They also built a Church nearby to work with poor children in the village. Both the ladies are buried there.
The extraordinary interior decoration includes a feather frieze, gathered from native game birds and chickens, laboriously stuck down with isinglass.
There is also a fragile shell-encrusted gallery, said to contain nearly 25,000 shells, which can be viewed in its entirety using a touch screen 360 degree virtual tour.
Until it went into the hands of The National Trust the house was passed through the family, going to single ladies only. Although one married while there, and brought her husband to live with her. He did many renovations including centarl heating, in late Victorian times.
A frieze they made of feathers -
I love how they managed to use the shape, squared off the rooms, but still utilised the odd shaped corners -
No one is allowed up to the Shell Gallery now, as it is too fragile -
Some of the work is also around the house -
The Church-
There are a few more pictures here