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Quirky 18th-century house with fascinating interior decoration and collections
This unique sixteen-sided house was described by Lucinda Lambton as having 'a magical strangeness that one might dream of only as a child'.
It 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, gathered from native game birds and chickens, laboriously stuck down with isinglass.
There is also a fragile shell-encrusted gallery, said to contain nearly 25,000 shells, which can be viewed in its entirety using a touch screen 360 degree virtual tour.
Note: last admission at 4pm.
Don't miss
- Diamond windows in last Harry Potter film inspired by ours
- Discovery Room with dressing up, silhouette and shell activities
- Wildlife brass rubbing and spotter sheets for the grounds
- Free garden activities – croquet, snakes and ladders, quoits and more
- New art exhibition and sale of work every two weeks
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