The Great Conservatory at Syon House
The Great Conservatory at Syon House is not far from the Orangery at Hampton Court Palace that I wrote about yesterday. So if you are visiting one it is worth travelling an extra few miles to visit the other.
Syon House belongs to the Duke of Northumberland and is his family’s London residence.
Set within 200 acres of parkland designed by Lancelot ‘Capability’ Brown from the 1750s to 1770s, there are 40 acres of formal gardens, an ornamental lake and a collection of 200 species of rare trees. It is registered as a Grade 1 landscape in the English Heritage Register of Parks and Gardens of Historic Importance in England.
For many people, the crowning glory of Syon Park’s gardens is the Great Conservatory. This was built for the Hugh Percy, 3rd Duke of Northumberland who commissioned Charles Fowler to design the conservatory in 1826. Charles Fowler was also the architect for the markets of Covent Garden and Hungerford Market in London well known for their innovative use of metalwork and glass.
The conservatory was finished in 1830 and was the first conservatory to be built from metal, in this case gunmetal, glass and stone on a large scale. It was designed and used to act as a show house for the Duke’s exotic plants.
The masonry, of Bath stone, was by Thomas Cundy and the metalwork was by James Richards of Birmingham.
It is said that it inspired Sir Joseph Paxton in his designs for the Crystal Palace, but since Paxton had extensively travelled through Europe and was responsible the construction of his own conservatories elsewhere, I think the Syon conservatory was one of many influences.
Today the Great Hall in Syon House is licensed for civil wedding ceremonies but the Great Conservatory is used for wedding receptions and parties.
It is well worth visiting even if you are not planning on getting married!
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