Coade stone

Coade stone is a stone stuff like ceramic mass with the properties of an artificial stone. It was invented by Eleanor Coade (1733-1821) and produced and sold from 1769 to 1833. The material used was the mass production of facade parts, decorative sculptures and garden ornaments in England in the late 18th and early 19th century. The Coade Stone is now out of use, because the substance was replaced by the cheaper Portland cement.

History

To accommodate the large demand for façade decoration mainly for Blankziegelbauten in London at the time of George III. being able to meet, Eleanor Coade had developed a hard and efflorescence resistant stone. The crude material was poured into molds and allowed the production of work pieces of brick-size to complete still images. In particular prefabricated parts of Fenstergesimsen and doorways at affordable prices were so much in demand that Eleanor Coade a factory, Coade 's Artificial Stone Company founded. You could advertise with famous clientele such as the royal family and members of the English nobility.

Despite the great success of the company in the London Borough of Lambeth, which presented a large number of different jewelry items in their showrooms, it was after the death of the company founder in 1821, her daughter and her relatives is not possible to secure the future of the company permanently. The company was bankrupt in 1833.

Manufacturing and composition

Eleanor COADE label that does not prevailed, was Lithodipyra, an image composed of the Greek word parts portmanteau ( " stone - two - fire "). The color of the material was between light gray and beige, the surface of the finished workpieces had a matte luster. The great advantage of this pottery lay in its ability to be easily poured into large molds with heavily textured surfaces. The molds could be reused for a long time. The hard, smooth surfaces were beyond extreme weathering resistant and braving the harsh climate of London, which was heavily polluted by resulting from the combustion of coal fumes. The Coade Stone was superior in this environment most natural stones, their processing also was time consuming and expensive.

Contrary to popular opinion, the recipe for the production of the raw material for the Coade stone was lost, the composition of which is very well known. The material from which the green body has been prepared consisting of

  • 60-70 % clay ( from Dorset and Devon )
  • 10 % of ground soda-lime glass,
  • 5-10 % of ground flint,
  • 5-10% silica (to reduce the shrinking process ),
  • ( From scrap recovered ) 10% ground stoneware as temper.

The resulting prepared mixture was kneaded, shaped into a green body and fired in kilns at about 1100 degrees Celsius for four days. The art of making was less in regard to the formulation as required special skills to control their manufacture and difficult firing. Therefore Eleanor COADE's company remained the only successful manufacturer of artificial stone.

Yet existing examples

The results of a search of the BBC from the year 2004, according to the world still exist 650 individual pieces or building facades, Coade stone. The best known example in the UK is the Red Lion ( "Red Lion " ) of 1837 a former London brewery. The sculpture is now located at the south end of Westminster Bridge in London.

  • Ceramic material
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