Monument record 5003/2/15 - Site of 19th-century conservatory, Delapre Abbey

Former conservatory built in the late 19th century on the south front. Demolished in the 1960s. Excavation of the foundations was undertaken prior to development

{1} The former conservatory was built in the last decades of the 19th century on the south front situated between the east gable wall of the south range and the west gable of the Billiards Room. It measured 17.3m by 7.9m internally. The conservatory was laid out with a symmetrical design centred on a circular pool. The pool was constructed of red brick and rendered internally with hard, grey cement. In the centre was the truncated stump of the water inlet pipe which almost certainly held the brass fountain rose found in the demolition rubble. In the base of the pool was a water outlet hole. There was a centrally placed door on the south side of the building, furnished with a short flight of steps. Further doorways linked the main range of house to the billiards room.
There was an under-floor heating system, with heating ducts under much of the floor area. Two rows of four square plinths would have supported eight posts or columns, almost certainly of cast iron.

<1> Soden, I and Prentice, J. with a contribution by Meadows, I, 2019, Archaeological monitoring, excavation, building recording and analysis at Delapre Abbey, Northampton 2014-19 (Report). SNN111408.

Record last edited

Feb 25 2025 8:14PM