Point-in-View Chapel

Point-in-View Chapel
Devon
Point-in-View Chapel
Type:	Chapel
Location
Grid reference:	SY00798351
Location:	50°38’34"N, 3°24’16"W
Town:	Exmouth
History
Address:	Summer Lane
	Built 1811
For:	Jane and Mary Parminter
	Chapel
Information
Owned by:	The Mary Parminter Charity

Point-in-View Chapel stands on the estate of A La Ronde, a delightfully eccentric, round country house near Exmouth in Devon. It was built as a private chapel by Jane and Mary Parminter, two cousins, who had also built the house. The house is now owned by National Trust, but the chapel is in the name of the trustees of the charity which Mary Parminter established in her will for this purpose; the Mary Parminter Charity.

The chapel (like the house) is a Grade I listed building.

History

The Parminter cousins were staunch Congregationalists, and regularly attended the Glenorchy Chapel in Exmouth. However as the ladies grew older they found the journey to worship increasingly difficult. They therefore decided to commission a chapel on their own estate. Miss Jane died in 1811, and was buried beneath the chapel. The work however continued and the buildings were completed later that year. Inside the chapel are the words "Some point in view – We all pursue".

The Bishop of Exeter granted the chapel a licence for public worship by Protestant dissenters in 1812.

Surrounding the chapel was a small school for six girls and almshouses for four maiden ladies of at least 50 years of age. There was also accommodation for a minister.

The two ladies took a keen interest in bringing Jews to the Christian gospel. The deeds for the almshouses expressly stated that any Jewess who had embraced Christianity would have preference over all others as a candidate for a place. A local story has it that the oaks planted on the estate are protected by a will drawn up by the Parminter cousins stating that the oaks shall remain standing until Israel returns and is restored to the land of promise. This is, sadly, apocryphal but undoubtedly reflects the idea, common at the time, that the timber from the trees would be used to build the ships for the return to the Promised Land.

When Miss Mary died in 1849, she too was buried beneath the chapel.

Mary's will created the trust which today owns the chapel. A minister was to be enaged and the Trust Deed specified that the minister be a ‘regularly ordained Protestant Dissenter of approved character’ holding to the doctrines of the Westminster Confession. He should be married and would occupy what was known as the “entrance room” area leading from the front door into the chapel proper, called the ‘Point Room’.

The school closed in 1901.

The chapel today

Regular services are still held at the chapel and a Chaplain still lives in the Manse. Baptisms and weddings also remain part of the pattern of life at Point-in-View.

There are also weekly classes based on old traditional art and craft techniques. These classes contribute to 'Parminter Art' a living art museum situated in the Chapel.

The Chapel and the Manse are listed Grade I and the three-acre meadow in which they stand are listed Grade II in the National Register of Parks and Gardens. The chapel is open most days and welcomes visitors.

At one time, the Trustees met annually and received one guinea for their attendance, as laid down by the Parminters. These days, the site is managed by the Trustees of the Mary Parminter Charity who meet a great deal more frequently and receive no payment. The charity manages not only the chapel but also the adjacent almshouses.

Outside links

• The Mary Paarminter Charity
• The Mary Parminter Charity - Registered Charity no. 210057 at the Charity Commission