Orangery Design at its Best
Orangery UK is a Charles Christianson website focusing solely on high quality, luxury orangeries built in hardwood timber or UPVC. All projects undertaken for our clients are treated with the utmost attention to detail and we only use the best components during the building phase.
Here at Charles Christianson, we are proud of our workmanship and will never compromise on quality when designing and building the perfect extension to your property.
Quality Workmanship
“ Charles Christianson came to our house in person with his design team and a watercolour artist. There and then before our eyes we watched as our dream of the perfect orangery became a reality. The finished orangery was more amazing than we ever could have imagined. Thank You! ”
:: Jane Baldwin, Staffordshire ::
An Orangery was a building often seen in the grounds of fashionable residences from the 17th to the 19th century and given a classicising architectural form. The orangery was similar to a glasshouse or conservatory. The name muses the original use of the building as a shelter where orange and lemon trees were often wintered in tubs under cover, surviving through heavy frosts though not expected to bloom and fruit.
The orangery allowed a grand extension of the regular range and season of woody plants, continuing the shelter which had long been afforded by the heat provided from a brick fruit wall. A hundred years after the use for citrus trees was established, it was decided that other varieties of exotic plants could also be grown in the orangery, which gained a cast iron reputation for the survival of delicate plants in the harsh winters of the northern Hemisphere.
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The Orangery at Kensington Palace
Queen Anne's Orangery at Kensington
Truly Beautiful British Architecture
There are a number of famous Orangeries well documented in history, both here in the United Kingdom and elsewhere but probably the most documented orangery in british history is situated at Kensington Palace. Queen Anne commissioned the Orangery to be built north of the palace, it was began in 1704 and completed in 1705 and his deemed her principal memorial.
The design of the orangery was attributed to Nicholas Hawksmoor but was modified by Sir John Vanbrugh. The magnificent interior was decorated with panelling, 24 Corinthian columns, all painted white and Grinling Gibbons woodcarvings. It still retains its original Portland stone terrace.
The orangery was used as a greenhouse for growing exotic plants and citrus trees that were used in the garden for ornamental purposes throughout the summer months, however it was also used as a place for entertainment.
The Orangery at Margam Park in Wales
The Margam Park Orangery in Wales
Margam Park - Gothically wonderful
The Margam Park Orangery took an astounding 6 years to complete between 1787 -1793 and was designed by a gentleman names Anthony Keck. It was originally built to house a large collection of citrus trees during wales' harsh winters.
Margam House is listed at one of the finest classical Grade I listed buildings in wales. The Orangery is the beautiful centrepiece of the gardens designed in a regular classical theme and is extremely functional. It is aligned east-west and a staggering 327 feet long. it is the longest orangery in great britain.
The main body of the Orangery is lit by twenty-seven tall round-headed windows surrounded by deeply carved, vermiculated, rusticated stones which contrast with the smooth stone above and in the end pavilions. The five orangery central windows stand slightly forward of the main building, a pedimented pavilion of smooth faced ashlar successfully terminates the long building at either end, each with a triple-lighted Venetian window on the south front and Venetian door on the end. The back of the building was plain except for double doors for carrying the trees in and out. This orangery is truly a masterpiece in architecture.