A Victorian Staircase and Balcony for a Unique Orangery

Restoring and enhancing period properties is all about balancing modern functionality with timeless aesthetics, and this project here in Derbyshire is no exception. The homeowners, inspired by the elegance of the original Georgian orangery in their 18^th century home, wanted to breathe new life into the space whilst staying true to its historic character. Tasked with replacing a worn timber balcony with something more fitting, we crafted a bespoke aluminium staircase and mezzanine that blends Victorian charm with contemporary engineering.

After finding us online, the homeowners spent some time looking through our gallery and instantly liked what they saw. From this, they booked an appointment to visit our showroom in Chapel-en-le-Frith to see some of our pieces in person and meet our managing director, Richard Harding, to discuss the project.

Having looked at a range of options, the homeowners decided on a design from our Victorian spiral staircase range. Our dedicated design team then developed 3D CAD designs to show the homeowners how the staircase and balcony would look in situ. Impressed with the designs, the homeowners gave us the green light and we got to work.

The size of the balcony, which spanned 3800 mm across the orangery, and 2000 mm wide, essentially created a mezzanine, and it’s the homeowners’ intention to furnish it with a piano for their children to enjoy. A singular steel support column with a Victorian base was installed to bolster the installation, ensuring the strength of the balcony. Cast aluminium balconies, unlike cast iron, are incredibly lightweight, making them ideal for these kinds of upper floor applications.

A single steel support column with a Victorian base was installed to bolster the installation, ensuring the strength of the balcony. Unlike cast iron, cast aluminium balconies are incredibly lightweight, making them ideal for these kinds of upper floor applications. The large size of the balcony – spanning 3,800mm across the orangery and 2000mm wide – essentially created a mezzanine, for which the homeowners chose to add a piano to for their children to enjoy.

Unusually, the 1000mm x 500mm Victorian decorative plates were featured on the underside of the balcony floor, with the homeowner’s chosen oak flooring on the upside. Lighting was then installed in the void between the landing plates and timber to highlight the metalwork. This allowed the intricate beauty of the Victorian style plates to be enjoyed from the lower-level bar, whilst also introducing the warmth and richness of the timber to the mezzanine area.

The Victorian balusters on the balcony added a simple refinement, alternating with a regent ornate infill to create an open, airy feel to the balcony. The design also catered to the health and safety limitations with regards to spacing – as any gaps between balusters need to be less than 100mm to comply with Building Regulations.

During the design process, the homeowners’ distinguished between more intricate balusters at the top of the balcony, and another style of Victorian baluster and ornate infills for the spiral staircase. Ten treads, each with a baluster and infill, ascended clockwise up to a radius drop landing; as the spiral staircase was installed at the side rather than the front of the balcony, the drop landing ensured the staircase didn’t spiral underneath the balcony, so as not to encroach on the bar area.

All of the pieces were powder coated at our dedicated facility before being transported to site. At this point, the homeowners prepared the space, whilst Richard arranged for fitters to come in and install the piece.

The homeowners were exceedingly happy with the result: “The service was second to none,” they said, “Richard is a class English gentleman, and British Spirals & Castings are the type of company you want to do business with – one you can trust and rely on.”