A La Ronde

Om museet

A la Ronde was built in 1796 for the cousins Jane and Mary Parminter. In 1784 Jane, the daughter of a wealthy Devon wine merchant, set off on a grand tour of Europe with her sister Elizabeth, her orphaned cousin Mary and a friend, and the group spent several years travelling through France, Italy, Germany and Switzerland.

Back in England, Jane and Mary planned a rural retreat near Exmouth that would remind them of their journey and provide a home for their many souvenirs. The sixteen-sided plan was inspired by the sixth-century basilica of San Vitale at Ravenna. In the years they lived together at the house, the cousins created a shell gallery and a feather frieze, along with mosaic work, paper cuts and other crafted items.

Jane died in 1811 and Mary lived on at A la Ronde until 1849. Mary's very long will aimed to keep the house and its contents intact and to let only unmarried female relatives inherit it. Today the house is cared for by the National Trust, which shows the geometric rooms, the Parminter collection and the grounds with their orchard, meadow and views over the Exe estuary. Because the Shell Gallery is too fragile for visitors, it can be seen in a virtual tour.

Højdepunkter

• Sixteen-sided house of 1796 with geometric rooms
• Interiors decorated by hand with shell and feather
• Parminter family collection of Grand Tour souvenirs
• Room of Discovery, a sensory space inspired by the Shell Gallery
• Grounds with an orchard, meadow, sculpture bench trail and views of the Exe estuary

Permanent udstilling

• The house and the Parminter collection – The sixteen-sided house with its shell and feather decoration, geometric rooms and the cousins' collection of travel souvenirs.

Grundlagt

1796

Ejer

National Trust

Entrépriser & rabatter

Prices are for house and grounds without Gift Aid; with Gift Aid the adult price is £13.20, child £6.60 and family £33. Free entry for National Trust members. Estate tours are free.

Tilgængelighed

• Delvis kørestolsvenlig
• Elevator: findes ikke
• Handicaptoilet
• Handicapparkering
• Servicehunde tilladt
• Taktile tilbud: ingen oplysninger
• Rundvisninger på tegnsprog: ingen oplysninger
• Letlæste tilbud: ingen oplysninger
• Synstolkning: ingen oplysninger

Level access into the house and the ground floor is accessible, but the upper floors are not suitable for all visitors and there is no physical access to the Shell Gallery (virtual tour instead). Paths are mixed turf, asphalt, compacted gravel and plastic grid, and the grounds are uneven in places; an accessible path runs through the meadow. Two Blue Badge spaces in the main car park, a drop-off point at visitor reception and a mobility toilet about 30 yards from the car park. Manual wheelchairs can be borrowed indoors and outdoors. Induction loops are in the barn bookshop and the Visitor Welcome Hut, and a portable loop is available for estate tours. Braille and large print guides to the house are available. Only assistance dogs are allowed in the house; dogs on leads are welcome in the grounds.

Børn og familie

Velegnet til børn og familier

• Familieomvisninger & workshops
• Opgavehæfte, skattejagt eller audioguide for børn
• Interaktive stationer
• Barnevognsvenlig
• Puslerum

Child tickets cover ages 5 to 17 and under 5s are free. The Room of Discovery is a hands-on sensory space, and there is a baby grand piano in the music room. Seasonal family trails and summer mazes run in the grounds. An accessible path suits pushchairs, and baby-changing facilities are on site. Ball games are welcome in the meadow, and children are asked to look but not touch the delicate interiors.

Transport & parkering

The house is 2 miles north of Exmouth, reached only from the Exeter Road (A376) end of Summer Lane, which is a no-through road. If a sat nav does not accept the postcode, search for Summer Lane. A short stretch of the A376 near Courtlands Cross is closed to through traffic from 9 September 2026 while a roundabout is built, expected until early December; diversion signs are in place via the new Dinan Way extension. The East Devon Way and Exe Estuary Trail pass close by, and there is cycle parking in the car park.

Service & spisesteder

• Restaurant: findes ikke
• Museumsbutik

Refreshments from a takeaway trailer (coffee, tea, sandwiches, cakes, ice cream) with seating in the orchard and picnic areas on the orchard and ha-ha lawn. Second-hand bookshop. Toilets are open when the house is open.

Arrangementer & udlejning

Museet har ikke offentliggjort oplysninger om dette.

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