Coade stone

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Coade stone or Lithodipyra or Lithodipra (Ancient Greek: λίθος/δίς/πυρά, lit.'stone fired twice') is stoneware that was often described as an artificial stone in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. It was used for moulding neoclassical statues, architectural decorations and garden ornaments of the highest quality that remain virtually weatherproof today.

The South Bank Lion, on Westminster Bridge. Modelled by William F. Woodington and Grade II* listed by English Heritage. (See "South Bank Lion" section below)

Twickenham Stadium Lion gate, (R.F.U.)
Originally paired with the "South Bank Lion" at the Lion Brewery on the Lambeth bank of the River Thames.
(See "Twickenham Stadium Lion" below)

Admiral Lord Nelson's Pediment, Old Royal Naval College, Greenwich.
(See "Nelson Pediment" section below)

Eleanor Coade's home, Belmont House, in Lyme Regis, Dorset, with Coade stone ornamental façade.
(See "Belmont House" section below)

Coade and Sealy's Gallery of Sculpture,
Westminster Bridge, 1799.
(See adjacent "Coade and Sealy gallery section")

Coade stone features were produced by appointment to George III and the Prince Regent for St George's Chapel, Windsor; The Royal Pavilion, Brighton; Carlton House, London; the Royal Naval College, Greenwich; and refurbishment of Buckingham Palace in the 1820s.[1][2]

Coade stone was prized by the most important architects such as: John Nash-Buckingham Palace; Sir John Soane-Bank of England; Robert Adam-Kenwood House; and James Wyatt-Radcliffe Observatory.[3]

The product (originally known as Lithodipyra) was created around 1770 by Eleanor Coade, who ran Coade's Artificial Stone Manufactory, Coade and Sealy, and Coade in Lambeth, London, from 1769 until her death in 1821.[1] It continued to be manufactured by her last business partner, William Croggon, until 1833.[1][4]

History

In 1769, Mrs Coade[a][b][c][d] bought Daniel Pincot's struggling artificial stone business at Kings Arms Stairs, Narrow Wall, Lambeth, a site now under the Royal Festival Hall.[2][7] This business developed into Coade's Artificial Stone Manufactory with Coade in charge, such that within two years (1771) she fired Pincot for "representing himself as the chief proprietor".[1][2][8]

Coade did not invent artificial stone. Various lesser-quality ceramic precursors to Lithodipyra had been both patented and manufactured over the forty (or sixty)[4] years prior to the introduction of her product. She was, however, probably responsible for perfecting both the clay recipe and the firing process. It is possible that Pincot's business was a continuation of that run nearby by Richard Holt, who had taken out two patents in 1722 for a kind of liquid metal or stone and another for making china without the use of clay, but there were many start-up artificial stone businesses in the early 18th century of which only Coade's succeeded.[7][9][10]

The company did well and boasted an illustrious list of customers such as George III and members of the English nobility.[e] In 1799, Coade appointed her cousin John Sealy (son of her mother's sister, Mary), already working as a modeller, as a partner in her business.[10] The business then traded as Coade and Sealy until his death in 1813, when it reverted to Coade.

In 1799, she opened a showroom, Coade and Sealy's Gallery of Sculpture, on Pedlar's Acre at the Surrey end of Westminster Bridge Road, to display her products.[1][2][12][13](See adjacent "Coade and Sealy gallery" image)

In 1813, Coade took on William Croggan from Grampound in Cornwall, a sculptor and distant relative by marriage (second cousin once removed). He managed the factory until her death eight years later in 1821[13] whereupon he bought the factory from the executors for c. £4000. Croggan supplied a lot of Coade stone for Buckingham Palace; however, he went bankrupt in 1833 and died two years later. Trade declined, and production came to an end in the early 1840s.

Material

Lion Gate (above), an entrance into Kew Gardens, with its Coade stone lion statue on top. Coade stone unicorn statue (below) atop Unicorn Gate, another entrance.
(See "Kew Lion and Unicorn gates" below)

Description

Coade stone is a type of stoneware. Mrs Coade's own name for her products was Lithodipyra, a name constructed from ancient Greek words meaning 'stone-twice-fire' (λίθος/δίς/πυρά), or 'twice-fired stone'. Its colours varied from light grey to light yellow (or even beige) and its surface is best described as having a matte finish.

The ease with which the product could be moulded into complex shapes made it ideal for large statues, sculptures and sculptural façades. One-off commissions were expensive to produce, as they had to carry the entire cost of creating a mould. Whenever possible moulds were kept for many years of repeated use.

Formula

The recipe for Coade stone is claimed to be used today by Coade Ltd.

Its manufacture required extremely careful control and skill in kiln firing over a period of days, difficult to achieve with its era's fuels and technology. Coade's factory was the only really successful manufacturer.

The formula used was:

This mixture was also referred to as "fortified clay", which was kneaded before insertion into a 1,100 °C (2,000 °F) kiln for firing over four days[11] – a production technique very similar to brick manufacture.

Depending on the size and fineness of detail in the work, a different size and proportion of Coade grog was used. In many pieces a combination of grogs was used, with fine grogged clay applied to the surface for detail, backed up by a more heavily grogged mixture for strength.

Durability

One of the more striking features of Coade stone is its high resistance to weathering, with the material often faring better than most types of natural stone in London's harsh environment.[citation needed] Prominent examples listed below have survived without apparent wear and tear for 150 years. There were, however, notable exceptions.[f] A few works produced by Coade, mainly dating from the later period, have shown poor resistance to weathering due to a bad firing in the kiln where the material was not brought up to a sufficient temperature.[citation needed]

Demise

Coade stone was only superseded after Mrs Coade's death in 1821, by products using naturally exothermic Portland cement as a binder. It appears to have been largely phased out by the 1840s.

Not entirely however: there are interesting examples of its continued use for architectural embellishments as late as 1887, in some grand Domestic Revival-style houses, built by the architect Frank H. Humphreys, on Pevensey Road, St Leonards-on-Sea, UK.[citation needed]

Examples

Over 650 pieces are still in existence worldwide.[18][19]

Metropolitan Museum of Art
The Met - New York City
Faith - 'Overpainted Coade stone'
by John Bacon the Elder. 1791
(See Metropolitan Museum section)
Frankland Monument, Stanmer Park Brighton
Croome Court, Upton-upon-Severn. South staircase guarded by two Coade stone sphinxes.

"Statue of Hygieia", St Bernard's Well, by the Water of Leith, Edinburgh
Memorial to Frances Brown, daughter in law of Lancelot "Capability" Brown. (Fenstanton)

Father Thames, by John Bacon, in the grounds of Ham House
The Gibberd Garden, Harlow, Essex, created by Sir Frederick Gibberd

The Medici Vase, Kew Gardens, from a pair ordered by George IV.

George III at Lincoln Castle

1802 statue by Charles Rossi - Britannia or Minerva atop Liverpool Town Hall.
(See Liverpool Town Hall)
  • LiverpoolTown Hall. 1802 statue by Charles Rossi - Britannia or Minerva atop Liverpool Town Hall. Minerva, the goddess of wisdom, or Britannia. She is holding a spear, which is a common replacement for Britannia's trident, but that is usually in her right hand. Minerva is commonly depicted with an owl, but she is also the goddess of strategic warfare, so a spear makes sense. Both wear Corinthian helmets. Who is it? - Neither Rossi's own list of commissions, nor a (non-existent) Royal Academy contemporary list of his worksare available, so both Historic England and Pevsner hedge their bets saying "Britannia or Minerva".

Portobello Beach, three Coade Stone columns in the community garden at 70 Promenade (John Street), rescued from the garden of Argyle House

Lord Hill's Column, Shrewsbury. A 17 ft (5.2 m) tall statue of General Rowland Hill, 1st Viscount Hill, modelled in Coade stone by Joseph Panzetta

- The lion which originally stood over one of the brewery gates is now painted gold and located at the west-gate entrance of Twickenham Stadium, the home of English rugby. (See Twickenham Stadium Lion section below)
- The lion from the roof of the brewery, now known as the "South Bank Lion", was moved to Station Approach Waterloo, placed on a high plinth, and painted red as the symbol of British Rail. When removed, the initials of the sculptor William F. Woodington and the date, 24 May 1837, were discovered under one of its paws.[4] In 1966,[89] it was moved from outside Waterloo station to the south end of Westminster bridge.[90] (51°30′03″N 0°07′10″W / 51.500836°N 0.119581°W / 51.500836; -0.119581 (South Bank Lion at the south end of Westminster Bridge)), (See South Bank Lion image at Top of article)
Captain William Bligh's Tomb surmounted by an eternal flame. Church of St Mary-at-Lambeth, (now the Garden Museum).

- 'The Oxford Gates'.[97] The central piers were designed by William Kent in 1731[98] Pavilions at either end were added in the 1780s to the design of the architect Vincenzo Valdrè. The piers have coats of arms in Coade stone.
Stowe Park
'The Cobham Monument'
The plinth is surmounted by Coade stone lions holding shields. (1778)
- 'The Gothic Cross' erected in 1814 from Coade stone on the path linking the Doric Arch to the Temple of Ancient Virtue. It was erected by the 1st Duke of Buckingham and Chandos as a memorial to his mother Lady Mary Nugent. It was demolished in the 1980s by a falling elm tree. The National Trust rebuilt the cross in 2017 using several of the surviving pieces of the monument.
- 'The Cobham Monument' is the tallest structure in the gardens. It incorporates a square plinth with corner buttresses surmounted by Coade stone lions holding shields added in 1778.[99]
- 'The Gothic Umbrello' also called the Conduit House a small octagonal pavilion dating from the 1790s. The coat of arms of the Marquess of Buckingham, dated 1793, made from Coade stone are placed over the entrance door.

Restored gateway to St Mary's Church Tremadog

- Sundial, 1825. The sundial in the grounds of the hall is in Coade stone, and is 1 metre (3 ft 3 in) high. It has a triangular plan with concave sides. At the bottom is a plinth with meander decoration on a circular base, the sides are moulded with festoons at the top, in the angles are caryatids, and at the top is a fluted frieze and an egg-and-dart cornice.[109] (52°41′33″N 2°17′04″W / 52.69258°N 2.28442°W / 52.69258; -2.28442 (Sundial, Weston Park, Staffordshire))
- Two urns and planting basin, 1825. The urns and planting basin are in Coade stone, and are to the southwest of the 'Temple of Diana'. The basin has a diameter of 2 metres (6 ft 7 in), with a cabled rim to the kerb. The urns are on a base, and each has a short stem, and a wide body with guilloché decoration and carvings of lions' heads.[110] (52°41′28″N 2°16′55″W / 52.69121°N 2.28204°W / 52.69121; -2.28204 (Two urns and planting basin, Weston Park, Staffordshire))
The triumphal arch at Park Crescent, Worthing

Birkbeck Image library

In 2020, the library of Birkbeck, University of London, launched the Coade Stone image collection online, consisting of digitised slides of examples of Coade stone bequeathed by Alison Kelly, whose book Coade Stone was described by Caroline Stanford as "the most authoritative treatment on the subject".[3][115]

Gallery

Modern replication claims

The recipe and techniques for producing Coade stone are claimed to have been rediscovered by Coade Ltd. from its workshops in Wilton, Wiltshire. In 2000, Coade ltd started producing statues, sculptures and architectural ornaments.[citation needed]

See also

Notes

References

Works cited

External links

  • In 2021 Historic England launched a crowd sourced Enrich the List map of Coade stone in England.
"Eleanor Coade, Pioneer of Coade Stone | Historic England". historicengland.org.uk. Retrieved 4 February 2022.
Google - My Maps "Coade Stone". Google My Maps. Retrieved 4 February 2022.

Gallery of images.