What can we learn about microclimates from orangeries?

I was recently watching an episode of The History Guy on the history of oranges.

In it, he talks about something called an orangerie (also spelled orangery) [wikipedia] which became popular among the palaces of Europe.



So... even before the industrial revolution and electricity, these jokers were growing citrus trees in France, up into Germany, even up into Russia and Sweeden!??

Now I'm thinking... sweet, I could use that!  Unfortunately, given the way they started out, an orangerie still seems to be a status thing, which clutters the search results immensely!  So with this post, I'm kind of fishing for more info.

Anybody got a lead on orangries?
How they did it?
How to design one?
Scientifical studies on how they worked? - What construction techniques would lead to what amount of temperature gains?  Etc?

The wiki article you linked to gave some information about how they did it:  

"The orangery provided a luxurious extension of the normal range and season of woody plants, extending the protection which had long been afforded by the warmth offered from a masonry fruit wall.[2] A century after the use for orange and lime trees had been established, other varieties of tender plants, shrubs and exotic plants also came to be housed in the orangery, which often gained a stove for the upkeep of these delicate plants in the cold winters of northern Europe. As imported citrus fruit, pineapples, and other tender fruit became generally available and much cheaper, orangeries were used more for tender ornamental plants."

Sounds like a really big green house with a masonry stove in it. Sounds like a good location for a RMH.

sounds like the perfect addition for a king or queen too their castle.

Orangery's were heated by fires often coal fires, eventually changed to outside boilers heating water in radiators or soil pipes to avoid fume damage. they are just fancy lean to greenhouse for people with enough money to keep them warm.