ABSTRACT
Conservatories were initially intended for gardeners to raise delicate plants, but the emphasis changed over the century towards a space for social use that had groupings of attractive plants as decoration, also named winter gardens. Of course, the scale and scope of conservatories varied enormously from large orangeries and individually designed glass houses for mansions to small lean-tos for suburban gardens. The advances in the production of sheet glass and the repeal of the tax on glass in 1845 encouraged the development of conservatories and widened their market considerably into urban middle-class houses. As an ornament of architectural value, no villa is complete without them, and even the owner of the city mansion does not seem well satisfied till he has added one of these elegancies to assist the look and feeling of taste.
