A La Ronde
A La Ronde is a sixteen square house near the village of Lympstone to Exmouth in Devon in southwest England. It belongs to the National Trust today. The house was originally built for two unmarried cousins , Jane and Mary Parminter.
History
The Parminter family, whose pedigree can be traced back in North Devon until the 17th century, had become wealthy through trade. Jane Parminter was the daughter of wine merchant John Parminter from Barnstaple, who had an office in Lisbon, where she was born. She grew up in London and became guardian of her orphaned cousin Mary. After the death of her father in 1784 she went accompanied by their physically disabled sister Elizabeth, her cousin Mary and another friend on the Grand Tour.
1795, the two decided cousins Jane and Mary, to settle together in Devon. For this purpose, the two women bought a plot of land of approximately 60,000 square meters, to be there to build a residential building. According to traditions in the family, it was Jane Parminter personally, the A La Ronde designed. It is probable, however, that a distant relative, John Lowder, who worked as an architect in Bath, designed the house or Jane Parminter supported at least. Lowder was at the time of planning from A La Ronde Although only 17 years old, but designed years later, the Bath and District National School, an unusual building with 32 pages and wedge-shaped classrooms. A La Ronde may be considered as early prototype of the larger project, which was implemented in 1816 in Bath and demolished in 1896.
Approximately a year later, in 1796, the house was completed; it consisted of a total of 20 rooms. The center of the house is a 10,70 m high octagonal hall, the Octagon, whose example was probably the Basilica of San Vitale in Ravenna. From this hall on the ground floor went from eight rooms, between which was a triangular chamber with a diamond-shaped window. The rooms were originally connected by sliding doors. In the basement there is a wine cellar, a safe room and kitchen were. Much of the interior was even made by the two cousins who were extremely skillful craftsmanship. The house contained many works of art and numerous shells that had collected the two women on their European trip. Around the Octagon runs an increased gallery whose walls are adorned with a frieze of 25,000 shells.
After the completion of the house Jane and Mary Parminter lived there together withdrawn up to Jane's death in 1811.
In Mary Parminters Testament was determined that the Property could be left only to unmarried female relatives. This clause was followed until 1886, when the house passed to Reverend Oswald Reichel, a brother of one of the previous residents. Reichel, the only male owner of the house in about 200 years left, perform comprehensive installations and conversions, including a water tower, a laundry room, a bathroom, central heating, bedroom with dormer windows in the attic, a dumbwaiter and mouthpieces. The original thatched roof was replaced with a tiled roof with a rotating viewing gallery.
After the National Trust had taken over the building, he could be removed for reasons of preservation up to a giant radiator, the Reichel had let install. The now deep red walls received their original light green color back. The Shell Gallery can be viewed via video today.
The building stands as a Grade I building under monument protection. The gardens are listed on the National Register of Historic Parks and Gardens by English Heritage.
Point-in -View chapel
Jane and Mary Parminter regularly visited the Glenorchy Chapel in Exmouth, but when the two women were older, them was the way there too burdensome. Therefore, they decided to build a chapel on their property. Jane Parminter died 1811 and was buried in the chapel under construction, which was completed a year later. Next to the chapel was until 1901 a small school of six girls and an almshouse for four unmarried women who had to be at least 50 years old. In addition, there was a place for a clergyman. 1849 Miss Mary was also interred in the chapel.
The two ladies had great interest in the conversion of Jews to Christianity. The foundation charter expressly says that every Jewish woman who turned to Christianity, in any case all other candidates should be preferred for a place in the foundation. The planted oak trees on the property are protected by the written down will of Parminter - cousins , which states that "these oak trees are to be retained until Israel are bringing back as a promised land." Behind this was the then popular notion that the wood of the trees should be used to it to build ships and return these to the promised land.
By the year 2004, regular services were held in the chapel; 1817-1836 baptisms took place. The curators of the Chapel meet annually and receive a guinea for their presence, as it was determined by the Parminters.
Gallery
Stables
Details of the roof
Details window