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Conservatories: from Nero’s melons to modern relaxation

07 August 2014

The conservatory or sunroom is one of the most popular types of home expansion in the UK. Today, conservatories are used for many purposes, from playrooms for children to home offices to spaces to lounge quietly, looking out at the garden and blissfully doing nothing. But this modern space has a long history.

The idea of keeping plants out of harsh weather is an old one. The Roman emperor Tiberius enjoyed eating snake melon (a relative of the cucumber), but keeping the plants alive in cold weather was difficult. Roman historians Pliny the Elder and Columella wrote that the emperor therefore had the plants protected by transparent frames made of mica. These ingenious structures were the ancestors of modern conservatories.

During the middle ages, glazed buildings for plants existed in regions as far apart as Italy and Korea, where heated greenhouses kept plants alive through the vicious winters. However, greenhouses were found only in the homes of the wealthy; the high cost of glass made them prohibitive for others.

In England, conservatories were a major status symbol from the 16th century onward. Imported fruit from the Mediterranean and the New World, such as oranges, lemons and pineapples, were desirable luxury goods, but they were costly and hard to get. Pineapples were such a symbol of wealth and status that carved pineapples can be seen on royal buildings from this period. The wealthy began to build elaborate glazed conservatories or orangeries to protect vulnerable citrus plants, allowing them to be grown in the British climate. Over time, these structures began to play host to social functions.

The Industrial Revolution was also a revolution in conservatory design. New production techniques made it easier to build large buildings of glass with iron frames. Examples like the Crystal Palace showed the potential of this technology, but smaller examples could be seen in public botanic gardens as well as in private homes. The new buildings were now within the reach of ordinary people. The British mania for conservatories and greenhouses was interrupted only by the Second World War, which demanded the materials used to build them – to say nothing of the threat of bombs.

Today, the conservatory, orangery or solarium is experiencing a revival. Once again, new technologies have made these additions simple and affordable. Improved insulation has also made them much more energy-efficient than earlier versions. The warmth and light of a conservatory are now within the reach of the ordinary homeowner in a way they have never been before.