Historic England is publishing a book on the subject of Georgian and Regency conservatories in collaboration with the Georgian Group, and is looking for conservation projects to use as case studies.
Dr Melissa Thompson, Designation Adviser at Historic England, writes:
The book is the first in a series of short guides on various aspects of Georgian architecture whose target audience is conservation officers, conservation architects, architectural historians, and owners of Georgian houses. It focuses on the type of conservatory that evolved in the late 18th century due to developments in glass and iron manufacture and in methods of heating, resulting in much pleasanter structures that began increasingly to be attached to dwelling houses and used as a social space. The book will provide a history and development of this building type, focusing particularly on the reasons they became such desirable appendages, where they were positioned, what they were like inside, and who designed and built them.
The second part of the book focuses on their conservation and will include up to five case studies to illustrate best practice with regard to elements of their repair, such as to the heating system, glazing bars etc. The examples could be high status conservatories attached to country houses or situated in the grounds, or the smaller type attached to suburban villas; but they must have been designed for use as a social space as opposed to greenhouses, hothouses or vineries.
If you have been involved in any such conservation work and would be happy for your report and photographs to be used as a case study, please get in touch with Melissa Thompson at melissa.thompson@HistoricEngland.org.uk.
Georgian Group website
Historic England website
