The Conservatories
Probably the most famed, and certainly one of the more striking, features of the Gardens, the Conservatories are around 300ft long, crowned by seven glass domes. The domes are notable for the gilded finials, featuring pineapples on the outer domes with the Earl's coronet standing above the large central dome. They dominate the north side of the gardens, located on one of the upper terraces, which is an ideal location to take in a full view of the garden.
The Conservatories cost around £20,000 when they opened (roughly £1.5 million in modern currency). At the time of construction, the Conservatories at Alton Towers were known as one of the best examples in the UK and, having been built in 1825, they were also one of the earliest of this type of structure in the country.
The building we see today is certainly the most notable conservatory that was built at Alton Towers, but we know of at least three conservatories that were once located around the gardens, as well as several working greenhouses, which were located in the complex behind the main range of conservatories.
Today the planting within the conservatories is rather sparse, but the central house was once known for its palm trees, with the outer wings home to an orangery, kiwi fruits as well as other citrus plants.
It was noted at the time that the Conservatories were actually rather draughty, having been built more for decoration than the growing of plants, and in the 1800s the building was heated by a novel boiler system that pumped heat into the structure through pipes. In 1834, the 16th Earl was able to grow bananas at Alton Towers, though it is questionable if this would have taken place in the Conservatories we see today, and was more likely to have occurred in one of the many greenhouses that sat behind the building and where much of the actual growing would have occurred.
For many years around the turn of the century, one of the more unusual features was a palm tree, which had grown unchecked until it has passed through the roof of the central atrium and so was incorporated into the building design. Whilst the tree was quite the sight, it was eventually removed when the Conservatories were last restored in 2017.
Then and Now
Then (c. 1930s):
Now (2020):
The Conservatories have been one of the headline attractions in the Gardens, ever since they were first built in the 1820s. Whilst the tree that dominated the terrace, in this colourised postcard produced before the war, has long since gone, the scene along this path remains remarkably similar.
