A La Ronde

Cousins Mary and Jane Parminter bucked quite a few trends, going on a ten-year Grand Tour in the late 18th century, seemingly oblivious to the mores of the time and such, not to mention wars, revolutions, and assorted other upheavals going on in Europe. When they returned, they wanted to build a house to display all their ten years' travels' souvenirs and mementos. (This was before the age of refrigerator magnets; before the age of refrigerators, too). Anyhow, when visiting Ravenna, they were greatly impressed by the cathedral of San Vitale, as were we, and also Charlemagne, but that's another story, and later resolved to build an octagonal display house; actually sixteen-sided. And they called it "A La Ronde." They apparently had their own ideas about geometry as well. Anyhow, the house and its contents came at length to the Trust some years back, and it is one of the more popular if quirky Great Houses.

Sixteen-sided A La Ronde; not the diamond-shaped windows

The Parminters' print of San Vitale

One of the bedrooms; many of the furnishings are of a later date, those of a later
occupant

Of course, a sixteen-sided house makes for some odd-sized rooms;
 they collected prints, paintings, books, and

Mostly they collected shells...predating a serious Victorian
hobby of collecting fossils and such

Yes, mostly they collected shells

And did interesting things with them

Indeed, the entire top-most floor is a great octagonal display of shells

Peeking upstairs towards it

It's not on the tour--too fragile--but there's a 360 degree computer tour available...

More comfy rooms

Closer-up of a Monkey Puzzle tree outside

View from the house of the estuary of the River Exe, and the town of Exmouth
below (Exeter further up the estuary)