— 17 —Timeless Treasure Conservatory

IN THE NINETEENTH CENTURY, when it became fashionable to add a conservatory to stately manor homes, the new addition was often quite whimsical. It stood in stark contrast to the formal, stately architecture of the time. The concept of a glass house was new and without any precedent and architects of the day embraced the opportunity to conceive a new aesthetic. At the same time, technological advances led to the availability of inexpensive steel and large sheets of glass, and these opened new design possibilities that fueled imaginations.

The conservatory became a fanciful juxtaposition against the stone façade of a main building and it enclosed a stage-set fantasy of tropical jungles and forest escapes.