Coade stone


Coade stone, also called Lithodipyra or Lithodipra, 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.
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.
Coade stone was prized by the most important architects, such as: John Nash, Sir John Soane, Robert Adam, and James Wyatt.
The product 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. It continued to be manufactured by her last business partner, William Croggon, until 1833.

History

In 1769, Mrs Coade bought Daniel Pincot's struggling artificial stone business at Kings Arms Stairs, Narrow Wall, Lambeth, a site now under the Royal Festival Hall. This business developed into Coade's Artificial Stone Manufactory with Coade in charge, such that within two years she fired Pincot for "representing himself as the chief proprietor".
Coade did not invent artificial stone. Various lesser-quality ceramic precursors to Lithodipyra had been both patented and manufactured over the forty 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.
The company did well and boasted an illustrious list of customers such as George III and members of the English nobility. In 1799, Coade appointed her cousin John Sealy, already working as a modeller, as a partner in her business. 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.
In 1813, Coade took on William Croggan from Grampound in Cornwall, a sculptor and distant relative by marriage. He managed the factory until her death eight years later in 1821 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

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', or 'twice-fired stone'. Its colours varied from light grey to light yellow 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 kiln for firing over four days – 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. Prominent examples listed below have survived without apparent wear and tear for 150 years. There were, however, notable exceptions. 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.

Demise

Coade stone was only superseded after Mrs Coade's death in 1821, by cast stone products using naturally exothermic Portland cement as a binder.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

Examples

Over 650 pieces are still in existence worldwide.
File:Croome Portico 2016.jpg|thumb|Croome Court, Upton-upon-Severn. South staircase guarded by two Coade stone sphinxes.
  • Cottesbrooke, Northamptonshire. 'All Saints Church' contains a free-standing monument to Sir William Langham, in the nave, moulded in Coade stone by Bacon Junior.
  • Croome Court, Upton-upon-Severn in Worcestershire. The south face has a broad staircase, with Coade stone sphinxes on each side, leading to a south door topped with a cornice on consoles.
  • Culzean Castle, overlooking the Firth of Clyde, near Maybole, Scotland. The former home of the Marquess of Ailsa. "Cat Gates" – The original inner entrance with Coade stone cats surmounting the pillars. The lodge cottages were demolished in the 1950s., '
File:St Bernard's Well 04.jpg|thumb|"Statue of Hygieia", St Bernard's Well, by the Water of Leith, Edinburgh
File:Statue at Ham House, Surrey - geograph.org.uk - 2042049.jpg|thumb|Father Thames, by John Bacon, in the grounds of Ham House
  • Ham House Richmond, on the River Thames near London, has a reclining statue of Father Thames, by John Bacon in the entrance courtyard.
  • Haldon Belvedere, Devon. Inside is a larger-than-life-size Coade stone statue of General Stringer Lawrence dressed as a Roman general; a copy of the marble statue of him by Peter Scheemakers.
  • Hammerwood Park, East Grinstead. Coade stone plaques of scenes derived from the Borghese Vase adorn both porticos.
  • Harlow, Essex, The Gibberd Garden Coade stone urns originally from Coutts Bank, The Strand, now in the garden created by Sir Frederick Gibberd who died in 1984.
  • Heaton Hall, A country house that was remodelled between 1772 and 1789 by James Wyatt. Further additions were made in 1823 by Lewis Wyatt. It is built in sandstone with dressings in Coade stone and is in Palladian style.
  • Herstmonceux Place East Sussex. Circa 1932 it ceased to be a private house and was divided into flats. The north front of the house was built in the late 17th century. The south and east fronts were designed by Samuel Wyatt in 1778. The white panels are made of Coade Stone., '
  • Highclere Castle, Hampshire. 'London Lodge', Brick but Coade stone dressed, and wings., '
  • Horniman Museum, Forest Hill, London. The facade of the Pelican and British Empire Life Insurance Company at 70 Lombard Street in the City of London was rescued before demolition in 1915 and is now displayed in the museum. To adorn its building, Pelican added an allegorical sculptural group to the previously plain facade; the group was designed by Lady Diana Beauclerk and sculpted by John de Veere of the Coade factory.
  • Ifield, West SussexSt Margaret's Church, There are several other large tombs from the 18th century in the churchyard—some of which are good examples of Coade stone. The George Hutchinson wall memorial in the chancel, designed by local sculptor Richard Joanes, includes Coade stone embellishments.
File:Vase Médicis - copie à Kew Gardens.jpg|thumb|The Medici Vase, Kew Gardens, from a pair ordered by George IV
File:Lincoln 124.jpg|thumb|George III at Lincoln Castle
File:Britannia, Liverpool Town Hall 3.jpg|thumb|1802 statue by Charles RossiBritannia or Minerva atop Liverpool Town Hall
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  • Liverpool Town Hall. 1802 statue by Charles RossiBritannia 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 Royal Academy contemporary list of his worksare available, so both Historic England and Pevsner hedge their bets saying "Britannia or Minerva".
  • Lurgan, Northern Ireland. 42–46 High Street. Decorative stonework with Coade stone keys and sculpted heads. Provenance unclear.
  • Lyme Regis, Dorset – Eleanor Coade's country home at Belmont House decorated with Coade stone on its façade., '
  • Metropolitan Museum of Art New York City. Faith, statue in 'overpainted Coade stone', after a model by John Bacon the Elder. 1791. '
  • Montreal – Nelson's Column, built 1809. Montreal's pillar is the second-oldest "Nelson's Column" in the world, after the Nelson Monument in Glasgow. The statue and ornaments were shipped in parts to Montreal, arriving in April 1808. William Gilmore, a local stonemason who had contributed £7 towards its construction, was hired to assemble its seventeen parts and the foundation base was laid on 17 August 1809.
  • Bank of Montreal. A series of Relief panels based on designs by John Bacon, moulded in Coade stone by Joseph Panzetta and Thomas Dubbin in 1819.
  • The Octagon House or the John Tayloe III House in Washington, DC, built 1800 by William Thornton.
  • North Ockendon, Church of St Mary Magdalene,. A Grade I listed building, The baptismal font and royal arms were both made in 1842.
  • Paço de São Cristóvão, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. In front of the palace is a decorative Coade stone portico, a gift sent by Hugh Percy, 2nd Duke of Northumberland, inspired by Robert Adams' porch for "Sion House".
  • Pitzhanger Manor House, Ealing, was owned from 1800 to 1810 by the architect Sir John Soane, who radically rebuilt it. It features four Coade stone caryatids atop the columns of the east front, modelled after those that enclose the sanctuary of Pandrosus in Athens., '
  • Plympton, DevonSt Mary's church, monument to W. Seymour in Coade stone.
  • Portman Square, London. About a third of the north side is in the statutory category scheme, Grade I. No.s 11–15 built in 1773–1776 by architect James Wyatt in cooperation with his brother Samuel Wyatt. First houses in which Coade stone was used., '
  • Portmeirion, Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson,
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  • Portobello, Edinburgh, Portobello Beach, three Coade Stone columns erected in a community garden, with Heritage Lottery funds in 2006 at 70 Promenade, Portobello; rescued from the garden of Argyle House, Hope Lane, off Portobello High Street when taken into Council storage in 1989 as a new extension was built onto the house.
  • Preston Hall, Midlothian, Significant features of the interior include four life-size female figures in the stairway, which are made from Coade stone, a type of ceramic used as an artificial stone.
  • Putney Old Burial Ground. The grave of 18th century novelist Harriet Thomson made of coade stone.
  • Reading, Berkshire. St Mary's Church, Castle Street. The frontage is rendered in stucco while the capitals of the portico are probably formed of Coade stone.
  • Radcliffe Observatory, Tower of the Winds. The reliefs of the signs of the zodiac above the windows on the first floor are made of Coade stone by J. C. F. Rossi. '
  • Richmond upon Thames. Two examples of the River God, one outside Ham House, the other in Terrace Gardens. , '
  • Rio de Janeiro Zoo entrance.
  • Roscommon, Ireland, Entrance gate to former Mote Park demesne, The Lion Gate, built 1787, consisting of a Doric triumphal arch surmounted by a lion with screen walls linking it to a pair of identical lodges.
  • Saxham Hall, Suffolk has an Umbrello constructed of Coade stone in the grounds, '
File:Shrewsbury Column.jpg|thumb|Lord Hill's Column, Shrewsbury. A tall statue of General Rowland Hill, 1st Viscount Hill, modelled in Coade stone by Joseph Panzetta.
  • Schomberg House at 81–83 Pall Mall, London, was built for Meinhardt Schomberg, 3rd Duke of Schomberg in the late 17th-century. The porch, framed by two Coade stone figures, was added in the late 18th century. Note – The figures that framed the doorway of the original Coade's Gallery, on Pedlar's Acre at the Surrey end of Westminster Bridge Road were made from the same moulds. '
  • Shrewsbury, Shropshire. Lord Hill's Column commemorates General Rowland Hill, 1st Viscount Hill, with a tall statue on a pillar. The statue was modelled in Lithodipyra by Joseph Panzetta who worked for Eleanor Coade.
  • South Bank Lion at the south end of Westminster Bridge in central London originally stood atop the old Lion Brewery, on the Lambeth bank of the River Thames. The brewery was demolished in 1950, to make way for the South Bank Site of the 1951 Festival of Britain. Just before the demolition King George VI ordered that both lions should be preserved:
File:Grave of William Bligh, Lambeth, London - geograph.org.uk - 1411724.jpg|thumb|Captain William Bligh's Tomb surmounted by an eternal flame. Church of St Mary-at-Lambeth.
File:Stowe Park, Buckinghamshire.jpg|thumb|Stowe Park
'The Cobham Monument'
The plinth is surmounted by Coade stone lions holding shields.
  • Teigngrace Devon. James Templer, the builder of the Stover Canal, is commemorated by a Coade stone monument in Teigngrace church.
  • Tong, ShropshireSt Bartholomew's Church. The church's north door served as the "Door of Excommunication". A stoneworked version of the Royal Arms of George III, is located above the north door which is made of Coade stone. The monument cost £60 in 1814, and was a present from George Jellicoe to celebrate the Peace of Paris and Napoleon's exile to Elba.
  • Towcester Racecourse on the Easton Neston estate – Main Entrance Gate decorated with an array of dogs, urns and vases surmounted by the Fermor arms, signed by William Croggon., '
  • Tremadog, Gwynedd, Wales. St Mary's Church Lychgate. Tremadog was founded, planned, named for and built by William Madocks between 1798 and 1811. The Lychgate to the churchyard is spanned by a decorative arch of Coade stone, containing boars, dragons, frogs, grimacing cherubs, owls, shrouded figures and squirrels, while the tops of the towers are surrounded by elephant heads.
  • Twickenham Stadium Lion gate. The lion was sculpted in Coade stone by William F. Woodington in 1837 and paired with the "South Bank Lion" at the Lion Brewery on the Lambeth bank of the River Thames. It is now located above the central pillar of the Rowland Hill Memorial Gate at Twickenham Stadium. It was covered with gold leaf prior to the 1991 Rugby World Cup held in England. The Lion brewery was damaged by fire and closed in 1931, and then demolished in 1949 to make way for the Royal Festival Hall. '
  • Twinings' first ever shop's frontispiece, in the Strand, London opposite the Royal Courts of Justice, rediscovered under soot after a century.
  • University of Maryland, College Park, United States – The keystone, featuring a carving of the head of Silenus, above the entry to The Rossborough Inn.
  • University of East London, Stratford Campus. Statue of William Shakespeare. '
  • Weymouth, Dorset. King's Statue, is a tribute to George III on the seafront.
  • Weston Park, in Weston-under-Lizard, Staffordshire.
  • Whiteford House, Cornwall. The stables and a garden folly survive. The Temple is owned by the Landmark Trust and let as a holiday cottage. There are Coade stone plaques on the exterior.
  • Windsor Castle, St George's Chapel. Mrs Coade was commissioned by King George III to make the Gothic screen designed by Henry Emlyn, and possibly also replace part of the ceiling of St George's Chapel.
  • Woodeaton Manor, Oxford. In 1775 John and Elizabeth Weyland had the old manor house demolished and the present Woodeaton Manor built. In 1791 the architect Sir John Soane enhanced its main rooms with marble chimneypieces, added an Ionic porch of Coade stone, a service wing and an ornate main hall.
Image:Park Crescent triumphal arch March 2009.JPG|thumb|The triumphal arch at Park Crescent, Worthing
  • Woodhall Park is a Grade I listed country house, Watton-at-Stone, Hertfordshire. Limited use of Coade stone in the park.
  • Woolverstone Hall, Ipswich, The house, now a school, is built of Woolpit brick, with Coade stone ornamentation.
  • Park Crescent, Worthing, A triumphal arch. The main archway, designed for carriages, contains the busts of four bearded men as atlantes. The two side arches, designed for pedestrians, each contain the busts of four young ladies as caryatids. The Coade stone busts were supplied by William Croggan, successor to Eleanor Coade.