Conservatory v Orangery: the difference?

Have they done more work on Gibside? We were there last summer and I think there were plans afoot. I loved the way they had horse drawn carriages for disabled people to take round the park. Going off at tangent [as I'm prone to do] I hadn't realised till tonight that the guy who owned Kedlestone Hall [our local stately pile] saved the Taj Mahal when he was Viceroy of India. In fact, he saved lots of important buildings in India and did the same when he moved back here.

When Ken was 65, we went to Derbyshire to look at all the stately homes in the area. We went to Kedlestone, where there was a very observant woman who noticed that Ken was having trouble with his eyesight as well as his balance. He'd had one cataract removed but not the other so his glasses were not working properly. She gave him a special sheet to go around with and permission to touch the columns and the doorways, etc.
You can imagine what a privilege that was to an architect. She gave her name so that if anyone challenged him we could send them to her.
When we took the sheet back to her, she admitted that it was the first time she had been able to do that, and wanted to know what would happen!
We went to Sudbury as well. In the school room there were reminiscences about your school days and one of them was from someone who went to the same primary as me in Hull.
I think they are supposed to be restoring the orangery and some of the house, but I have not been there since I was in hospital at Easter.
I am supposed to be related to Mary Milner, John Bowes mother, the commoner who married the tenth Earl of Strathmore. She is buried in the mausoleum there, another interesting building.

Oh we went in the mausoleum [I like places like that]. At Kedlestone Lord wotsit was married to the beautiful lady whose dress is on display but she died quite young and has a whole part ofthe church dedicated to her. He then remarried a rich American [which is what they tended to do in those days] who lived to a ripe old age. When I asked the attendant in the church where she was buried and did it bother her that the first wife was so prominent, he pointed to a small grave on the periphery of the churchyard which is where she'd asked to be buried. So I went and paid my respects to her and said 'good on you'. Strange how, when somewhere is on your doorstep you never visit it; I've lived here for 40 plus years and this year was the first time I'd been there. We love all the stately homes in Northumberland because they're all so different, although Chillingham Castle is my favourite.

We love Kedleston too Tegan and, as it's only ten minute drive from DD1's house, we go often in the summer. They have good antique's fairs there to! The grotto is good at c*******s with lots of extras and really good presents.

Lord Curzon. I've got a book about him somewhere, about what he was like when he was Viceroy.
Gibside is only 15 minutes drive for me, and with the supposed connection, we tend to go there most often. Ken preferred Cragside. It has a minibus going round permanently for disabled. It needs it!
The white cattle at Chillingham are unbelievable aren't they?

We couldn't find Kedlestone at first, and complained bitterly. Supposedly the National Trust don't like signposting their properties and we were also told the sat nav wouldn't work either. We almost gave up and went to Ashbourne for the day instead! But backtracked on ourselves and approached from a different direction only to find we'd been within spitting distance of the place but there was no signpost. Don't think they pointed out how amazing Lord Curzon had been; it was only when I was watching the programme about heritage last night and saw some footage of India that I sat down and took notice, because I recognised it as something that was being shown at Kedlestone when we were there. That dress on display is beautiful isn't it. I didn't think I'd like the place because I'm not keen on Adams style things, but I loved it. It has links with another house in Northumberland [but I can't remember which one]. I love Cragside which has links with Bamburgh Castle [I like the Owl room; makes me think of Gormenghast!]. My worst nightmare would be to be locked in Chilligham Castle overnight [although I believe people pay to do so ]. Seeing the cattle was the closest I've ever been to being on safari.

I went with friends many years ago to Keddleston. Three or four years ago, I took a friend who was visiting from Scotland, found the suspiciously empty car park and a volunteer came to tell us that it was closed on Fridays. I hadn't looked it up on the NT web site. Silly me! So we went on to Sudbury Hall which was also impressive - I love ceilings and fireplaces; and sorry to have digressed from the OP.

I think Kedlestone has links with Wallington, the Trevelyans. Or is that Sudbury?
My husband went to Charles Trevelyan College in Newcastle, which is now part of Northumbria University.

Thanks ever so much for all your comments and suggestions on this. I'd forgotten 'Garden Room'. I don't think our house warrants an 'orangery' although from the front it looks bigger than it actually is. I'll stick with a 'conservatory' if we get one at all. In my view it's just another room for spiders to enjoy their get togethers and for me to clean although it could be useful for our family gatherings. Hmm lots of food for thought.

I had lunch yesterday with my friend whose son has a garden room and she told me it is so called as it has a solid roof as opposed to a conservatory which usually has a clear glass or "perspex type" .

I think there are actual building regulations to do with the difference. A conservatory did not need planning or BR approval if there was no heating in it. A room with a solid roof did need BR and possibly planning depending on the size and position even if you did call it a conservatory.
This government is changing many of the rules to reduce red tape so I do not know what the rules are now.

Makes sense jen if an orangery was a room with proper foundations, some solid pillars etc. But if heated it would play merry hell with the EPC whatever the glass used. The rest of the house would have to be extremely energy efficient if it was to compensate.
Always worries me when they say they are going to reduce red tape. Sounds good but regulations have usually been introduced for very good reasons after much thought and deliberation.

That's true, Jess. The orangery at Gibside does not have any glass in. In fact it was quite derelict the last time I saw it. However, there are fantastic views of the Derwent Valley from near there. UKcoal wanted to do opencast in the valley, so the National Trust bought the land so they could not. Ironic really, because the Bowes family wealth was based on coal. Mary Eleanor was the richest woman in Europe at one time, which is why the Lyon family married into the Bowes family.

I have been in a proper orangery somewhere, but I cannot remember where. It was joined to the main house, and had orange, lemon and grapefruit trees. I was with my husband and grandchildren, so it could have been in Cornwall or Devon, or Yorkshire or Northumberland but not in the Midlands. Can anyone help?