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Eltham Orangery

OrangeryNickCarter.jpg
©Nick Carter
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©English Heritage

Region: London

Local Authority: Greenwich

Owner Type: Company

Funding Body: English Heritage; Freeman Historic Properties Ltd

Summary: Eltham Orangery, Eltham, Greenwich: repair of high-quality Grade II* listed Georgian building enabling new use and its removal it from the Heritage at Risk register.

Description: A small, high-quality Grade II* listed Georgian orangery dating from 1717–20. Ever since its associated house was demolished in 1937, it has sat isolated and forgotten behind high street stores.
Issue: Long a target for vandals and fly tippers, it lost its roof through arson in 1977. It was one of London’s most intractable Buildings at Risk and appeared on the cover of the first BAR register in 1991.
Strategy: Following major funding from English Heritage, its then owners, Freeman Historic Properties Ltd, undertook a programme of repairs and reinstatement to enable the building to be put to sympathetic new use.
Outcome: Its new owners, the Greenwich Enterprise Board, obtained planning consents in 2010 to build small business office/studio units on the neighbouring land. This development will see a welcome return to use for the Orangery building itself and the provision of much needed workspace for small local businesses.

Keywords: Re-use, Regeneration, Repair, Reconstruction & Restoration

© English Heritage

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