Conservatory

The Conservatory is an odd little shop situated in a residential part of Hove. However, its well worth while going out of your way to stop here, even if it’s just to peruse some of the stranger items they have here. NEED a giant cow or life size Elvis statue for your garden? — this is the place to come!
As well as the slightly more ‘unique’ items, The Conservatory does also stock a great array of treasures, if you just take the time to hunt them out. Vintage mirrors, one-​of-​a-​kind pieces of furniture, lamps, and garden benches… you will find them all here.
Even if you don’t want to shop, it’s worth popping by to browse and stroke the giant dog (real this time) that lives on the premises.
They also sell seasonal goods — a huge selection of fireworks in November, and Christmas trees a-​plenty in December. I have got my tree from here for the last couple of years and they have always been spectacular.

I really NEED a life size white gorilla for my garden. Or a red crystal chandelier for my opulent hallway. Or a frog that croaks when someone crosses my path. Where on earth shall I go?
Right here, is where!
The Conservatory in Hove is just the place for just about everything ‘off the wall’ for your home and garden. The range is literally extraordinary, selling everything from the items mentioned above, to velvet chaise longues, extravagant mirrors or even saucy postcards.
The owner is very knowledgeable, and can deliver to pretty much anywhere you want. It’s worth a browse alone, although you’re bound to end up seeing something quirky you simply must have!
Check out the website, as well — it’s even wilder!
A very friendly, helpful and unique service, the Conservatory is a must see.
Psst — also, don’t tell anyone, but it’s quite good for celeb spotting. Half the cast of EastEnders and the Bill seemed to be in there when I went.
Go for the star spotting — stay for the antiquities…

Michael Jackson would have had a field day in Conservatory.
A sprawling home and garden store on the border of Hove, it stocks a wild and wacky assortment of antique and reproduction furniture and accessories. There’s wrought iron tables and chairs, benches, gazebos, bridges and fences for gardens, cast iron table lamps, Italian Murano chandeliers, gilded mirrors, vases and ornaments for living rooms. Scarily, there’s also gigantic stone animals, stone buddhas, ceramic animals and statues of dead rock and roll stars and movie icons.
As it says on the wall: ‘Most major icons available in life size or half size’.

If there were ever a place where taking hallucinogenics would render you somewhat screwed it’s The Conservatory. Selling –among other things– life size statues of Frank Bruno; a huge, white, gorilla Cyclops; a great white shark’s head and giant cows of all colours, there are few places that stick in one’s memory so well. In the middle of all this madness are many tamer, but still interesting, bits of furniture and garden-​ware. From glamorous chez lounges to various statues of Buddha, everyone is likely to find something of interest. Prices may be a bit steep but for those with the cash it’s a great place to grab some fantastically eccentric bits n bobs for the house. Even if you’re skint, you should visit simply to experience its character. Few places get it so right.

Have you ever wanted a life size cow or larger than life statue of Elvis to go in your house or garden? If you have and you have the cash to back up your full frontal assault on taste and reason then there is only one place you need to visit. The conservatory is a large emporium of ornaments and generally lavish accessories for the home and garden. My friends and I used to refer to this place as the house of fineries, as from the outside the selection of large ornate table lamps and gleaming gold framed mirrors make the Conservatory seem as a wonderland of beautiful and high quality goods.
Get a little closer in though and the smell of gold spray paint and the odd roughly knocked together Taiwanese replica Chippendale can do wonders to sober you. That’s no to say that I’m not keen on the place having something as visually stunning as this at the end of your street is quite exciting and the massive plastic shark’s head and be-​whiskered insect-​like owner get the imagination going a treat. But knowing it’s all so superficial yet still high priced feels a bit like being lied to, and I don’t like that.

Bizarre is the word that springs to mind for this establishment! Friendly but bizarre. When I asked the owner the best way to describe his business, he said ‘we are best known as the over the top shop’. That sums it up pretty perfectly. There’s not many people that would want life sized Friesian cows but whilst walking my dog yesterday, what did I see in someones garden? You got it, a massive black and white fiberglass cow.
There’s also some really attractive mirrors for sale and also some pretty impressive garden furniture. Maybe the Michael Jackson and Elvis statues are mainly for shop-​front eye catching purposes but either way, you won’t find a more interesting and eccentric shop to have a good browse around in.

Stepping through the doors of The Conservatory is like stepping through the other side of C. S. Lewis’ fabled wardrobe, such is its magical character. It may be a simple antique, home and garden furnishings place but the sheer eclecticism and wackiness of the things they stock means it’s much more than that. Take, for example, the life size statues of Frank Bruno, a Friesian cow and a great white shark head that adorn its exterior. Amongst other such elegant things one can find any number of antique futons, stone Buddha statues and gaudy chandeliers. There is simply no excuse for not visiting at least once.