A La Ronde

We took another stroll along the Exmouth seafront to walk off some of this morning's hotel breakfast, before heading for the nearby National Trust property, A La Ronde.

This 16-sided house was designed by cousins Jane & Mary Parminter at the very end of the 18th century. They appear to have been young women of independent means (the family money was made in the wine trade) who took the Grand Tour of Europe and came back with some imaginative ideas and a large supply of shells and other natural materials with which to decorate their house.

The 16 sided design meant they could capture the sun in different rooms throughout the day and the gallery around the top of the house was lined with their shell and feather designs and there are lots of other unusual structural and decorative features. If you're ever in the area, it's well worth a visit.

As you can see, it was very pleasant and soporific sitting in the gardens,