Famous Orangeries in the UK: Historic Examples Worth Seeing
Updated: 4 days ago
Britain's best-known orangeries include the Orangery at Kensington Palace (built 1704 to 1705), the Great Orangery at Kew (1761), the long Georgian orangery at Margam Park in South Wales and Jeffry Wyatville's orangery at Belton House (1819 to 1820). Most began as winter homes for citrus trees on great estates and now serve as cafés, restaurants and event spaces, which is exactly what makes them worth studying: they have been lived in for centuries.
This guide gathers them in one place. Where we have written about an orangery in more depth, the entry links to that article.
Kensington Palace, London
The Orangery at Kensington Palace was built in 1704 to 1705 for Queen Anne, in red brick with tall arched windows along its south front, and it is usually attributed to Nicholas Hawksmoor with later changes by Sir John Vanbrugh. It was designed as a place to overwinter tender plants and to entertain, and it has long been used as a café and restaurant in Kensington Gardens. It shows how far an orangery can be a formal room first and a glasshouse second.
Kew Gardens, London
The Great Orangery at Kew was designed by Sir William Chambers and completed in 1761 for Princess Augusta. It proved too dark to keep citrus well, a reminder that solid walls and a heavy roof limit light. We look at it in more detail in our article on the Orangery at Kew Gardens.
Belton House, Lincolnshire
Belton's orangery was designed by Jeffry Wyatville and built in 1819 to 1820, and the house and gardens are now cared for by the National Trust. It sits within the formal gardens beside the house, and its generous glazing shows how orangery design moved towards more light in the early nineteenth century.
Margam Park, South Wales
Margam's Georgian orangery, built in the late eighteenth century, is one of the longest in Britain and today hosts weddings and events within Margam Country Park near Port Talbot. See our article on the Orangery at Margam Park.
Allerton Towers, Liverpool
At Allerton Towers the orangery survives as a roofless ruin in a public park after the mansion it served was demolished in the 1930s. Our article on Allerton Towers orangery covers what remains and how to visit.
Ingestre, Staffordshire
The Georgian orangery at Ingestre, reached by an ornamental walk from the hall, has been restored and is used as a community space. More in our article on the Orangery at Ingestre.
Gunnersbury Park, London
Gunnersbury's orangery stands in the park of the former Rothschild estate in west London, now home to Gunnersbury Park Museum. See the Orangery at Gunnersbury Park.
Holland Park, London
The Orangery in Holland Park is one of the buildings that survived from the Holland House estate, much of which was destroyed by bombing in the Second World War. It is now used for exhibitions and events, set among the park's formal gardens.
Country house venues
Several of the best-loved orangeries today are working venues on private estates:
The Lost Orangery, at Euridge Manor near Colerne in Wiltshire, is a private events venue. See our article on the Lost Orangery.
The Old Rectory, Redditch, in Worcestershire, uses its glazed orangery room for dining and events. See the Orangery at Redditch.
The Orangery at Drenagh, on the Drenagh estate near Limavady in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland, is run as a coffee shop in the estate gardens. See the Orangery at Drenagh.
Kilworth House, a Victorian country house hotel in Leicestershire, uses its orangery as a restaurant.
Settrington, near Malton in North Yorkshire, hosts weddings in its stone orangery on the Settrington estate.
Turkey Mill, on the River Len in Maidstone, Kent, has an orangery building used as an events venue on the historic mill estate.
What historic orangeries teach about designing one today
The orangeries that have lasted share a few habits that still apply to a new build:
Proportion first. Tall windows, a strong cornice and a roof that sits below the upper-floor windows of the house make an orangery look as if it belongs.
Solid and glazed, balanced. The early orangeries were too dark for their plants; a modern roof lantern gives the light the originals lacked while keeping the solid perimeter that makes an orangery warmer and more private than a conservatory.
Built to be used. The survivors are the ones that became dining rooms, cafés and gathering spaces. Designing around how the room will be used, not just how it looks, is what keeps an orangery in daily use.
Materials that age well. Painted hardwood joinery, good stone or brick and quality glazing are what let these buildings last.
If you want to understand the building type itself, our guide to what an orangery is covers the definition, and our traditional hardwood orangeries page shows how we bring the same principles to homes today.
If you're planning an orangery of your own, talk to our design team.
