Ingleton Wood, a leading multidisciplinary property and construction consultancy, is thrilled to have our Blenheim Palace Orangery project shortlisted for the prestigious Project of the Year award at the Oxford Property Awards.
The Oxford Property Awards celebrate outstanding achievements in the property and construction industry, recognising projects that demonstrate exceptional design, innovation, and impact on the community. The shortlisting of the Blenheim Palace Orangery project underscores Ingleton Wood’s commitment to excellence in historic preservation and adaptive reuse of heritage structures.
Image courtesy of SCG Photography
About the Blenheim Palace Orangery project
The Orangery at Blenheim Palace is an important local destination and a feature of the Grade I listed UNESCO World Heritage site, highly regarded for its combination of beautiful location and high-quality cuisine.
This project included the internal refurbishment and reroofing of the Orangery, Kitchens, and Flagstaff. The project has been a huge success on all levels, starting with a cohesive and collaborative client and design team, a positive and adaptive contract team; resulting in a project of extremely high quality and success.
No one individual or company can take full credit, instead a true team effort from all involved has led to a project ideally suited to the Project of the Year category.
Originally designed by John Vanbrugh and constructed in 1716, the Orangery formed a part of the gardening estate and was used for housing tropical fruits such as oranges and lemons. Later, in c.1787 the Orangery became a part of the house with a conversion to a theatre space, and later (c. 1840) into an office space.
In 1862 the Orangery was severely damaged by a fire in the adjacent kitchens and the roof collapsed leading to its subsequent replacement with a glazed roof in the 1890’s and later reglazing in 1976.
This project removed the failing and poorly fitting cast iron and aluminium glazed roof construction and reinstated the original slate roof from John Vanbrugh’s design intent. In addition to this, the project achieved the following:
- Repair and replacement of the roof and widening of lead gutters
- Repair and restoration of stone parapets
- Internal restoration, including new feature plaster ceiling
- Internal lighting upgrade
- Internal systems upgrades including fire alarm and IT systems
The Blenheim team worked hard to ensure that the project was well received by their visitors and events schedule. The comprehensive schedule required either quiet works on site or temporary stand-downs, including the Blenheim Triathlon, the Salon Privé Car Event, and a series of on location filming.
The construction team were faced with a number of significant challenges, which were handled with apparent ease and without disruption to the project. Challenges included:
- Careful removal and safe storage of historic cast iron trusses
- 6-month delay in delivery of the required Westmoreland Slates
- Changes to the fire compartmentation following opening up and advice from the insurers
- Addition works to the refurbishment of the new bar area during the course of the project without delay
The project has provided an Orangery that now consumes less energy, provides a more comfortable dining experience, and provides a truly unique venue in the Oxford area.
A feature wrap was designed for the large scaffold which helped to highlight the works and raise the needs of a local children’s charity, taking a valuable opportunity to raise their profile as well.
Overall, despite significant challenges, the project was a huge success. Delivered on time and on budget over a 9-month period, the project meets the original design brief and more.
The new Orangery will significantly reduce carbon emissions (by 1.3 tons per year) through the improvement of natural ventilation and the use of sustainable insulation; decreasing the need for additional heating and cooling. Additionally, the project has decreased the necessity of replacing glazing, which typically has a lifespan of around 20 years, through the use of a more sustainable alternative, thereby reducing embodied carbon.
Congratulations to everyone involved in this project, and thank you to the Oxford Property Awards for this incredible honour; we now look forward to the formal awards ceremony later this year.
A special thank you to Blenheim Palace, Nick Cox Architects and Savvy Group for your support on this fantastic endeavor!
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