The changing of government and Prime Minister brings some unusual insights. As the helicopters circled above Downing Street and Buckingham Palace yesterday following the arrival and departure of the outgoing and incoming PM’s, we were provided with a rare aerial view of the gardens of Buckingham Palace. Having not been invited to a Garden Party – a rare oversight by the Queen and the DoE ! – that would have given me the opportunity for a closer look at the garden, I was intrigued to see a couple of buildings at the corners of the rear of the Palace that looked like orangeries or conservatories.
It is well known that John Nash built four conservatories in 1825 and that one of these was moved to Kew in 1836 and has become known as the Architectural Conservatory.
A further conservatory at the front of the Palace was converted into a chapel for Queen Victoria and Prince Albert in 1844, but this was destroyed on 13th September 1940 in a German bombing raid.
Originally King George VI had wanted the chapel rebuilt, but in view of post-war building restrictions and a squeeze on funds, the plan had to be abandoned. A new scheme to convert the chapel into an art gallery was devised by the Duke of Edinburgh and what became known as the Queen’s Gallery was opened to the public in July 1962.
In 1999 the gallery was extended, reopening in 2002 to coincide with the Golden Jubilee of Her Majesty. The extension added the current Doric entrance portico and several new rooms, more than tripling the size of the original conservatory.
Of course, you don’t have to own such a grand conservatory to display your works of art, or entertain visitors. Give us a call and we’ll be happy to give you a competitive quote for a new conservatory, built to be in harmony with your property and lifestyle.
The photo above shows one of the conservatories in the garden of the palace viewed across the lake.
