Conservatory at Carrow House

The conservatory, built in 1895 by Boulton and Paul of Norwich, adjoins the south-west corner of Carrow House, which is situated on a sloping site falling steeply to the north-east.

The large timber-framed conservatory is constructed from hardwood and cast iron, with a long rectangular plan of nine bays and canted ends, resting on a brick plinth pierced by ornate iron ventilation grilles. The curved roof has a moulded cornice and a continuous lantern surmounted by decorative iron cresting, with an iron finial and weathervane at each end. The bays are divided by wooden mullions with decorative shaping at the top and bottom. Each bay has three fixed vertical panes divided by wooden glazing bars, and above a keyed semi-circular window with tiny leaded lights bordered by a band of red stained glass. The lantern also features the same leaded lights and red border. A double-leaf door with lower wooden panels and a glazed upper panel, featuring a semi-circular window above, is located at the short south end. A further double-leaf door is present on the long east side, and the middle three bays project forward under an elaborate ogee gable head. This is surmounted by a triangular pediment filled with three panels of Art Nouveau stained glass.

Inside, the conservatory has an aisled wooden structure, with bays divided by trusses supported by aisle posts. Spandrels contain ornate ironwork in the form of cinquefoils and scrolls, topped with drop finials. A slightly raised platform, roughly laid in red brick, runs around the inside edge; this may originally have been beds which were later filled in. The main area of the floor is a large oval mosaic laid in white, bronze and black tesserae, surrounded by a scalloped iron grille with a border of bronze and black. A similarly bordered circle at the south end is now filled in and may have originally been a bed or pond. The original heating and ventilation apparatus remains in place, including hot water pipes and lever mechanisms attached to the aisle posts for opening the ventilation ridge windows.