In the summer, bespoke Timber windows conservatories and orangeries are the most delightful structures to sit in and enjoy.
However, the earliest orangeries in the UK were practically designed with the purpose of protecting orange and other citrus trees from the harsh winter conditions rather than enjoying a garden.
In Italy, the first orangeries were built in the middle of the 16th century. They took advantage of the warmer climate and the development of high-quality clear glass that could provide the fruit trees with shelter, light, and heat from open fires.
John Parkinson, one of the country’s first botanists and one of the last herbalists, made the first mention of it in the UK. He described a method that resembled a temporary orangery for protecting orange trees during the winter in his 1629 book Paradisi in Sole Paradisus Terrestris.
He advised planting orange trees next to a brick wall, similar to the fruit wall idea that had been used for years in orchards before a wooden shed covered with a waxed tarpaulin called “cerecloth” was built around them.
However, he also talked about a different way to store fruit trees: people keep them in square boxes that are carried or moved on wheels to a house or gallery building to keep them safe.
As wealthy landowners and ambitious merchants imported more exotic fruits like bananas, pomegranates, and oranges, the bright sights and smells became a status symbol, and this latter system took off in the 17th century, particularly with the end of the Eighty-Years War.
This ended the more temporary ways to protect citrus plants and led to the rise of the ornate, beautiful orangery, which was built specifically to house exotic plants and entertain guests during the summer. The orangeries still serve that purpose today.
However, the orangery might not have taken off in the manner it did if it weren’t for the writings of one of the UK’s most influential botanists.
What Do The New Laws on Conservatories Mean
Home extensions like conservatories and orangeries are coveted additions to any property. However, as part of new climate change regulations, anyone who has been wanting a new conservatory will now need to demonstrate that it does not result in “unwanted solar gain.”
Due to the climate crisis, summers in the UK are likely to be hotter and drier, reaching 40 degrees Celsius, making conservatories unbearably hot.
The Hertfordshire Mercury reports that as of this summer, any new conservatory that is added to a house will have to demonstrate that it will not overheat as part of measures to protect homes from rising temperatures in the future.
Following calls from environmental groups, the new regulations, which take effect in June, will limit window sizes to a certain percentage of a room’s or house’s floor area. It will also depend on which way they face them and how likely it is that the house will overheat. However, extensions will not be included.
The National Federation of Builders’ head of housing and planning policy, Rico Wojtulewicz, stated: We can build buildings with a lot of glass, but smaller companies that build a lot of different kinds of housing in one development might avoid doing so because it could cost money to do dynamic thermal modeling on each home.
He went on to say that the new rules could lead to more standardized home designs as builders try to avoid different layouts, and that conservatories could become “premium” products as lower-priced companies eliminate them from developments.