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A Little History of Conservatories ------------------------------------- The early 18th century saw the very first kind of conservatories built in the UK known as Orangeries. Built by the Victorians they were aptly named as they where designed and built as somewhere to cultivate exotic plants and trees such as orange plants brought back from India and elsewhere from around the British Empire at the time. Orangeries themselves where and still are more substantial structures than your typical conservatory, made out of stone with solid roofs and large glazed windows to allow as much sunlight in as possible. Many Orangeries are completely free-standing and often located well away from the main house. During the 19th century an increase in the importation of exotic plants that required all year round nurturing in such environments saw the development in Orangery design to include glazed roofs and thus the first real conservatories were constructured. Orangeries being used predominantly for winter storage were often turned into venues for entertaining. As a result conservatories tended to be developed closer to the house itself making it easier to move between. Typically a corridor would be built to join the two. By now Conservatories were well considered as more of an extension to the house providing extra living space than perhaps an extension to ones garden area. This use of the Conservatory continued through Edwardian times although used only on larger more stately homes. It wasn't until the early 20's that Conservatories became popular as house extensions by the middle classes, and this was when their original fashionable image began to gradually decline. This continued through two World Wars not least because of costs associated with heating them and the restrications brought on by fuel rashioning. Construction materials for Conservatories have changed and improved dramatically, where brick and timber where traditionally used. Victorian times saw the development in cast iron to produce elaborate designs and in most recent times complete hardwood conservatories and PVCu conservatories are common place plus the use of aluminium structures. Double glazing has also left insulation a thing of the past. The past decade has seen a boom in the property market and this has been mirrored by the conservatory market. Many have seen the profitable opportunities made from adding a conservatory to their existing property as well as the obvious practical advantages. |
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