Quirky 18th-century house with fascinating interior decoration and collections.

• Unique sixteen-sided, 18th-century house
• Impressive collection of Grand Tour mementoes
• Distinctive interior décor, including a 'feather frieze' and shell room
• Stunning panoramic views over the Exe Estuary

This unique sixteen-sided house, described by Lucinda Lambton as having 'a magical strangeness that one might dream of only as a child', 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. The extraordinary interior decoration includes a feather frieze and a fragile shell-encrusted gallery, said to contain nearly 25,000 shells, which can be viewed in its entirety on closed-circuit television.

Important note:
Unsuitable for caravans/trailers due to narrow lanes and limited parking. Telephone in advance. Small and fragile rooms, so large/bulky bags need to be left in lockers at entrance and groups of 15+ must telephone in advance.

Shopping:
NT shop. Plant sales.

Parking:
Free parking. Coaches must be booked.

Education:
Suitable for school groups.

Families & children:
Silhouette and shell craft activities, period costume dressing-up. Croquet. Themed quiz/craft days at Easter, summer and half-terms.

Refreshments:
Mary-Jane tea-room (NT-approved concession).

The blue marker on the Google map indicates our approximate location. Use the '+' and '-' buttons near the top left of the map to zoom in and out. Use the arrow buttons or click and drag to pan around.

Bus services:
Stagecoach in Devon 57 Exeter–Exmouth to within ¼ mile

By road:
2 miles north of Exmouth on A376

By train:
Lympstone Village 1¼ miles; Exmouth 2 miles

On foot:
East Devon Way borders property. South West Coast Path within ¾ mile

Ordnance survey reference:
192:SY004834