Orangery Evolution

History   Evolution    Irish Orangeries   Modern Orangeries   Flatroof

The Orangerie at the Palace of the Louvre, 1617, inspired imitations that culminated in Europe's largest orangery, designed by Jules Hardouin-Mansart for Louis XIV's 3000 orange trees at Versailles. The dimensions of 508 by 42 feet (13 m) were not eclipsed until, from the development of the modern greenhouse in the 1840s. The orangery, however, was not just a greenhouse, but a symbol of prestige and wealth and a feature of the garden, in the same way as a summerhouse, folly or "Grecian temple".

Owners would conduct their guests there on tours of the garden to admire not only the fruits within, but the architecture without. Often the orangery would contain fountains, grottos, and an area in which to entertain in inclement weather.