What is an Orangery?

An orangery is a type of garden, building or a room which was designed to protect citrus trees. For example trees like oranges, lemons etc., the main purpose to build an orangery is to protect delicate fruits, especially oranges and lemons which could not survive harsh winters in the outdoors. Orangery it is a warm, sheltered place where trees like orange trees citrus trees are grown in cooler climates. Orangeries are initially built or constructed on grand estate to protect the citrus trees during the winters. Orangeries were generally built facing south to take advantage of the maximum possible light to protect the citrus trees from harsh winters in the outdoors.

Orangeries are also featured with large, tall windows to maximize available sunlight in the afternoons. The north facing walls are built without windows with a heavy solid brick or with much smaller windows to be able to keep the rooms warm. An orangeries have less than 75% glazed roof. Orangeries did not have any glazing on their roofs until the early 1900s. The arrival of pineapples from South America and grapes from the Mediterranean led to the invention of pitched glazed roofs to maximize the light and heat that these plants needed to thrive in these structures.

What is a conservatory?

Conservatory were a hugely popular type of glazed extension during the 1980s. Commonly associated with uPVC(Unplasticized Polyvinyl Chloride) construction materials and rattan furniture, they will typically have fully glazed walls and a glazed roof set on a brick foundation. Homeowners loved the idea of easily adding additional space to their properties, which could be used as a bright and spacious formal lounge or dining room that offered close-up views of their gardens.

Where a conservatory is predominantly made from glazing, it allows for the extended space to be filled with as much natural light as possible. Unfortunately, traditional conservatories earned a reputation for feeling hot and stuffy in the summer and cold in the winter. The uPVC also had a tendency to date and turn yellow; not exactly a desirable look. As people started to realise that their expensive conservatories were an investment that could only be used for half the year when the weather was mild, they began to fall out of style.

What is the difference between an orangery and a conservatory?

The main difference between an orangery and a conservatory is the roof and percentage of glazing. An orangery typically has a solid roof – that helps to insulate the space – with a glazed parapet, while a conservatory has a fully glazed roof. In addition, an orangery will often feature a dwarf wall or columns that provide insulation, where as a conservatory has less insulation and more glazing. Which means that orangeries are also typically warmer than conservatories in the winter and cooler in the summer. Whereas orangeries are built with brick pillars or insulated columns but conservatory are built with mostly glasses. Orangeries have still light, but typically more enclosed but conservatory have very bright and airy, conservatory are typically lower in cost but orangeries are more premium. The style of a conservatory are more traditional or contemporary but orangeries are more elegant and substantial. Orangeries are more likely to be square or rectangle shape but a conservatory can be rectangle, P or T shaped. Orangeries are standalone or built against the side of the house with windows or a door into the house but conservatory are built against a wall of the main house, separate by closing door/ window. Orangery are built to be similar style to the house whereas conservatory are a glazed that doesn’t look like the house. Orangeries and conservatories are both popular choices for people who want to add an extension to their home that is filled with natural light. They can also be used as a place to relax, entertain guests, or grow plants.

An orangery was originally designed to capture as much sunlight as possible to grow fruit and exotic plants. To achieve this the windows had to be south-facing , with a solid north-facing wall protecting against the cold and wooden shutters to retain heat at night whereas conservatory is a structure predominantly made of glass so is naturally susceptible to fluctuations in temperature- hot in summer, cold in winter.