A Georgian Gem Hidden In A Clapham Council Estate

London has such a rich and layered history. Walking its streets you will sometimes see things that seem totally incongruous with their surroundings: little slices of history cut adrift from their era and anchored in the present, for example a section of Roman wall in a car-park perhaps or a 19th century Queen’s bath in a park. The subject of this blog post is certainly another example of this phenomenon. 

Hidden inside a 1950s housing estate in Clapham, as if transported straight out of the 18th century, you will find a dramatic, monumental and slightly dilapidated Georgian ‘orangery’.

The Thornton Family

In the 18th and early 19th century, Clapham was still a small village outside London. It was a popular spot for wealthy Londoners to retire to and escape the chaos of the city. 

In 1740 a man named Robert Thornton, a merchant who went on to become a Director of the Bank of England, built a house on the South Side of Clapham Common called Thornton House. 

His grandson, also called Robert and a director of the East India Company, was particularly interested in developing the estate’s gardens. He created an ‘ornamental park’, furnishing it with lawns, a lake, seating areas and a rock grotto. You can find out more about Georgian grottos here. 

A Grand Centrepiece: The Orangery

The standout feature of the garden was the orangery: a sort of greenhouse-cum-entertainment area. Built from 1792-93 it was designed by Dr William Burgh. 

As you can see, it consists of a pediment over Portland stone Ionic columns. It is richly decorated with Coade stone details such as roses and leaves. 

The latin motto on the entablature roughly translates as ‘Here spring is perpetual, and summer extends to months other than her own’. 

There would have once been glazed sashes between the columns and doors in the back leading to an extension. 

It was used to grow plants throughout the year and to entertain guests. Queen Charlotte and her daughters, Princesses Augusta and Elizabeth, were entertained by Thornton here in 1808. 

Thornton House was sold off and converted into the Notre Dame convent school in 1851 and then finally demolished in the 1940s. One part remained however: the orangery.

The Notre Dame Council Estate was built around the orangery from 1947-52, following the Second World War. 

The Orangery Today

The orangery was given Grade II listing in 1955 and today has a real feeling of faded grandeur to it. 

It seems a shame for it to be fenced off and overgrown, however can appreciate it poses many challenges as a piece of unusual heritage.

Any ideas of what could be done with it, let me know in the comments. Or perhaps it should be left as it is: an oddity for curious explorers to discover.

Thank you for reading, more of London’s quirky hidden history below…