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Vale Garden Houses, Belton Park, Londonthorpe Road, Grantham, Lincolnshire, NG31 9SJ.
Vale Garden Houses, Belton Park, Londonthorpe Road, Grantham, Lincolnshire, NG31 9SJ.
This elegant white orangery showcases how thoughtful design and careful planning can transform even the most challenging urban spaces into bright, functional extensions of the home.
Our clients inherited an existing lean-to structure that was in poor condition, was poorly ventilated and did not make the best use of available space. Prone to temperature extremes and lacking in comfort, it was also visually out of keeping with the quality of the property.
Situated at basement level, the proposed orangery was designed to bring light deep into the house and create a versatile everyday living space. The challenge lay in achieving this without compromising the historic fabric of the building or imposing on the neighbouring party wall.
Access to the site was a key constraint. Every component had to be carried down a narrow staircase and through the property, meaning that typical preconstructed frameworks were simply too large.
To overcome this, we meticulously redesigned and manufactured the orangery in smaller, carefully engineered elements that could be transported through the townhouse without risk. These pieces were then assembled on site with absolute precision.
Because of its listed status and legal restrictions, no structural support from our roof could bear onto the adjacent building. Our solution was to create a roof design with all structural loading transferred to an isolated internal frame within the orangery. This clever re-distribution of support created a small lightwell or mini-courtyard area. This also provided uninterrupted natural light to enter into the neighbouring property windows.
The glazed structure is accessed directly off the kitchen and provides an open and light filled dining room and place for relaxing.
The wall abutting the neighbouring property provided the perfect backdrop for floor to ceiling cupboards which provide valuable storage.
The finished orangery feels both modern and sympathetic to its surroundings. The white framework brightens the lower-ground-floor setting and creates a calm, contemporary contrast to the period architecture.
Generous glazing draws natural light into what was previously one of the darkest areas of the house, transforming the ground floor into a welcoming, uplifting space.
