Thank you!

The History of The Orangery continued

Fast forward to 1861 and The Orangery was being used as a greenhouse once again, but next to it was the laundry, a dairy and a bakehouse along with large, open fires for cooking. These necessities were kept well away from the main part of the Palace where the Duke and his family lived due to fear of a blaze (Blenheim Palace’s early inhabitants were within living memory of the Great Fire of London). Unfortunately, a fire did break out in the bakehouse and spread to the roof of the greenhouse, destroying it. The solid slate roof which the greenhouse likely had before was replaced with a glass ceiling, inspired by glass and iron rib-and-girder structures made famous by architect Joseph Paxton’s Crystal Palace in London. The Orangery then returned to its original function, growing fruit until the 1980s. Most recently The Orangery has become a restaurant, serving afternoon teas and Sunday roasts to visitors.

Why replace the roof now?

The Orangery roof was last restored in the 1970s but now the 19th century glass roof has come to the end of its natural life and needs entirely replacing.

Why not replace it with glass again? Due to the pressures of climate change and temperature swings, which present a range of challenges for historic buildings, we are choosing to return the roof back to its original solid slate. Slate combined with modern insulation will be a far more effective insulator than glass, saving energy and helping us to reach some of Blenheim’s 10 year goals, two of which are to become a net generator of green energy and to complete £40 million of vital restoration work. Our 10 year goals were announced in 2017 with the aim to have delivered them by 2027.

Will it look like the original slate roof when it is finished?

Based on research and remaining pre-fire evidence we are restoring The Orangery to what we understand to be its original form. We are replacing the current glass roof with a timber and slate structure and are working closely with Historic England to make sure the work, materials and architecture are sympathetic to Vanbrugh’s design. We don’t know exactly what The Orangery looked like before the fire in 1861 – unfortunately there’s very little information in our archives. Blenheim Palace was designed by architect Sir John Vanbrugh, but post 1716 due to dwindling finances his architectural plans from 1704 would have been scaled back.

When will the project be completed?

The restoration of The Orangery has been successfully completed, and it is now open once again as a premier restaurant. Guests can enjoy a delightful selection of Afternoon Teas, Lunches and Sunday Lunches in this beautifully refurbished space. In addition to its delightful dining offerings, The Orangery serves as an exceptional venue for meetings, conferences, and weddings, providing a versatile and elegant setting that caters to a variety of events.