page created 4th July 2004 images enlarged 19 Nov 2007

There is apparently no connection between this English, early 18th century,  William and Mary-style red-brick house and Villa Hanbury in Italy.  Apart from the fact that both share a name, and are home to collections of citrus plants. Hanbury Hall, owned by the National Trust, possesses an orangery in a similar style to the house. It is one of the few English orangeries that is still used to grow citrus. However, I was disappointed to learn that it was only when the 1745 orangery was restored in 1999 that the plants were re-introduced. When I visited the hall, I was hoping to find old plants and maybe some interesting old varieties, but this was not the case.

In summer the potted plants are placed in rows in front of the orangery, and used to decorate the formal gardens. There were no species or variety names on the numbered plant labels. Unfortunately several plants showed evidence of damage from citrus red mite.