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Conservatory (greenhouse)

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A traditional conservatory at the Horniman Museum in London
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A traditional conservatory at the Horniman Museum in London

A conservatory is a glass and metal structure traditionally found in the garden of a large house. Modern conservatories are smaller, can be made of PVC and are often added to houses for home improvement purposes. The traditional nineteenth century conservatory was a large greenhouse used for growing tender and rare plants, or, less often, for birds and rare animals - sometimes with the plants and animals living together. Many cities, especially those in cold climates and with large European populations have built municipal conservatories to display tropical plants and to hold flower displays. This type of conservatory was popular in the early nineteenth century and by the end of the century people were also giving them a social use (eg for tea parties. Conservatory architecture varies from typical Victorian glasshouses to modern styles, such as geodesic domes. Many were large and impressive structures are included in the list below.

Smaller garden conservatories became popular in the second half of the twentieth century, as places which are part-greenhouses, for conserving plants, and part-recreational, as a solarium or sunroom. They are often used as an extra room rather for horticulture.

Contents

List of prominent Conservatories

Australia

United Kingdom

England

Scotland

U.S.A.

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