Temple Of Diana At Sj 811104

The Temple of Diana, located in Weston Park, is an orangery and garden house built around 1760 by James Paine. Constructed from stone ashlar, it features a lead flat roof and dome, along with slate pent roofs. The design includes a dichotomic plan with the orangery positioned against the garden house.

The orangery has three bays on a podium surround, supported by engaged Ionic columns with fluted necking leading to capitals. The bays are divided and paired at the angles, with niches in between. A cornice runs at the springing level of the arches, which contain French casements. Above the cornice, there are blind openings at the angles that create a pseudo attic storey, adorned with a patera frieze and a balustraded parapet on the flat roof. Half pediments are set back on the sides.

The garden house front features a 1-3-1 arrangement over a cellar, with glazing bar sashes and raised bands at the cill level across the single-storey half pediments that flank a projecting two-storey octagon. This octagon has a pediment at the centre below an attic storey, although the centre window is blocked. A central French casement entrance is complemented by a radial fanlight.

Inside, the orangery showcases exterior orders expressed internally on the oval elliptical domed ceiling, which is decorated with Adamesque plasterwork featuring light relief festoons and cartouches. The Tea Room is circular and adorned with painted panels by G.B.I. Colombe that depict the life of Diana. It includes corniced double doors, a patera frieze, and a dentilled cornice leading to an elliptically domed ceiling with light relief patterns of anthemion and feathers. The Music Room is octagonal, featuring niches at the angles and a coved ceiling painted to resemble a trompe l'oeil sky.