I’ve never seen a house with sixteen sides before. A la Ronde looks like it has been taken from a town in Italy, sprinkled with whimsical charm and then situated in the Devonshire countryside. Seeing its conical roof and unique architecture through budding trees, I was instantly entranced and eager to go inside.
The lives of the building’s designers and the first occupants, Jane and Mary Parminter, are fascinating. The cousins designed and built it in 1790, inspired by their travels throughout Europe.
Their lifestyle was unusual for women at the time. Both inherited money separately and decided to remain single to keep control of their finances. Much of this money was used to educate girls and to help and house older women in the community.
Considering A la Ronde’s faceted exterior, it isn’t surprising that the interior is just as curious. Through the entrance hall, there is a central octagon, used for entertainment in its heyday. Rooms are set around it, each adjoined by a small wedge-shaped lobby, intricately engineered and fitted with sliding doors. I could have spent a few hours in the one filled with books.
Natural light floods into the property through diamond-shaped windows and from a gallery at the top of the atrium. Mirrors are available to look upwards, where parts of the gallery grotto can be admired. Encrusted with shells, it is sad but understandable why people can’t visit the enclosed precious space. However, panels have been reproduced and are exhibited in the basement.
Shell pictures, displays and collections adorn many areas, alongside sophisticated arts and crafts created by the two talented women.
The walk around the edge of the land is interspersed with unusual wicker sculptures, garden seats and benches crafted in an assortment of materials. Best of all is a collection made from parts of trees with contemporary floral sculptures above the seats. The metal leaves and petals contrast beautifully with the sky.
We completed Mary and Jane’s story by walking down the lane to Point of View Church, gifted to the community by the generous pair and where they are interred. Set at the side of a field dotted with yellow wildflowers, the flat white building is picturesque but doesn’t look its age. Back in 1811, the alms houses, schoolroom, and tiny chapel, which was originally embellished with shells, would have been awe-inspiring for the parishioners. It certainly had me captivated, and I think Mary and Jane would be delighted that their house and church are still being appreciated centuries later by so many.
Until next time,
Sue. X