Building record 2838/2/22 - The Orangery, Apethorpe Palace

The greenhouse, later known as the orangery, at Apethorpe Hall forms the south range of the kitchen or second court to the east of the central hall range of the house. Possibly designed by John Lumley for Thomas Fane 6th Earl of Westmoreland. Building started in 1718 and was still being undertaken in 1724. The south wall is faced in ashlar and is on nine bays will tall wooden sash windows in plain architraves. Alterations were made to the orangery in 1904 to connect the east and west parts of the Hall and to provide additional accommodation beyond the east courtyard. Further alterations were made when the Hall was in use as a school. Listed Grade I.

{1} The purpose of the greenhouse was to protect plants (originally 'greens') from cold and permit them maximum sunlight. Greenhouses were known in the 17th century but came into their own in the later 18th and 19th century. There is no evidence that oranges were grown at Apethorpe. The building is of nine bays and the doorway from the garden was in the centre bay. The internal floor level was two steps higher than the level of the south garden. The north elevation was mostly blank and there were openings at the east and west end. Access to the kitchen courtyard was by a door at the north-west end and down a flight of 11 steps. The original roofs structure survives hidden behind a panelled parapet. It was probably covered in Collyweston stone slates. After the sale of the estate to Henry Leonard Campbell Brassey in 1904, Reginald Blomfield was commissioned to undertake various alterations and improvements including building a passage inside the north wall of the orangery and adding windows to the north elevation. In addition bathrooms were inserted above the ground floor service spaces. In 1949 further alterations were made when the site became a school. The orangery served as an ablutions block and isolation sick bay.

{2} The orangery underwent major alterations during the school period which utterly changed the original form of the orangery. The original windows were removed, a floor was inserted, the ground floor was lowered and a new single storey corridor was erected along the north side.

<1> James Adgar, Undated, The Orangery, Apethorpe Hall, Northamptonshire (Report). SNN116149.

<2> Cattell, J. (Ed.), 2007, Apethorpe Hall: Survey, Research and Analysis, Chapter 11: 333-340 (Report). SNN106269.

Record last edited

Feb 4 2025 8:36PM