The Orangery at Blenheim Palace reopens following £2m refurb
The venue and dining experience includes locally sourced ingredients, using fresh fruits and vegetables from the Palace’s own kitchen garden
Blenheim Palace has announced the opening of its 18th Century Orangery following the completion of a £2m restoration project to replace the glass ceiling with timber and slate back to its original design.
The Orangery which offers afternoon teas, Sunday roasts, corporate meetings and even weddings at the UNESCO World Heritage Site has undergone a complete makeover internally and now features chandeliers and a merger of “contemporary chic with timeless charm”.
The venue and dining experience includes locally sourced ingredients, using fresh fruits and vegetables from the Palace’s own kitchen garden.
The team worked closely with Historic England to ensure the work, materials and the architecture remained “sympathetic” to Vanbrugh’s original design and it is believed to be the “first type” of restoration programme carried out on a Grade 1 Listed building of its kind.
The Orangery roof was last repaired in the 1970s but the 19th Century glass roof came to the end of its natural life and needed entirely replacing.
Over the centuries, the Orangery has been utilised as many different spaces. Firstly, as its name suggests, it was a greenhouse with large windows to create the “perfect” climate to support the growth of oranges and lemons over the winter months.
As the years passed, the Orangery has been transformed for various uses including a theatre, offices, an art gallery and is now a restaurant and a wedding and corporate venue.
Kelly Whitton, head of Built Heritage at Blenheim Palace, who is also leading the Flagstaff restoration, said: “This restoration project is extremely important to us and integral to our plan to achieve our 10 Year Goals. The choice to rebuild the roof with timber and slate is due to plans to adapt the building to an ever changing climate and resulting temperature swings, which present a range of challenges for historic buildings.
“Slate combined with modern insulation will be a far more effective insulator than glass, saving energy which is a huge factor in our ambitions to become a net generator of green energy. We know our visitors will be delighted that The Orangery is reopening and it’s important that we thank every ticket and annual pass holder for supporting Blenheim Palace as this vital work couldn’t have been completed without your donations.”