I just read over Bob A's blog entry on the Romanov's "Passion for Flowers" for at least the third time, where he refutes the claim that Alexandra had flowers brought to the AP in the dead of winter by heated train. Instead, the AP had its own farm and greenhouses. It occurred to me that I don't know where the greenhouses were located.
I went onto Google Maps and took a screenshot of much of the AP's park, figuring that the greenhouses would have been closer to the AP rather than farther to assist with bringing in the flowers safely during the winter. Can anyone point out to me where the greenhouses once stood?
Bob A provided a couple of photos of the greenhouses. Alexandra had the second one constructed, but I don't know if they both existed at the same time or if the second one replaced the first.
I've found mention of greenhouses (orangeries) on this map of the grounds near the Chinese Village, but it's unclear if these greenhouses were just for the Catherine Palace or the AP too since they seem to be more within the Catherine Park. However, that location could provide close access to both palaces. What does everyone think? Looking between the Google Maps view and the image below, it looks like those greenhouses still exist. Does anyone have any photos of them?
Here is a close up of the possible greenhouses from Google Maps. It appears that they're in use, but I'm not convinced that these greenhouses are quite like the one Alexandra had built.
