Let's sit in the Conservatory

Photo by Mike Peel
Conservatory at the Horniman Museum

It may not come as a big shock that Great Britain does not have an overabundance of sunny days, but the people of Britain make the most of what they have. To that end, the English Conservatory (English pronunciation:  Con servtry) became wildly popular to the upwardly mobile in the 1970’s. A conservatory is defined as having a glass roof with at least three walls of windows. While the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are adding a 16ft by 16ft conservatory to the kitchen of their new country home, Anmer Hall. For those who don’t have country estates gifted to them from their "gran," they can buy do it yourself kits for as low as £995. The 19^th century was the height of conservatory building in England and reached it’s peak with the Crystal Palace, which housed the 1851 Exhibition in London.

Their are many magnificent public conservatories that are built of iron and glass scattered all over Great Britain. Humbler versions can be found attached to houses all over the sun challenged, garden loving nation. As a side note, the Crystal Palace had the first major installation of public toilets, which were then called Retiring Rooms. During the exhibition, visitors paid one penny to use them. This is the origination of the euphemism, "spending a penny."