Eleanor Coade
Encyclopedia
Eleanor Coade was a devout Baptist and remained unmarried until her death on 16 November 1821 in Camberwell Grove, Camberwell
, London. Her obituary notice was published in The Gentleman's Magazine
which declared her ‘the sole inventor and proprietor of an art which deserves considerable notice’. Although it extolled the virtues of Coade Stone it contained no reference to her private life.
In her will and testament she left much of her fortune to charity schools and clergymen plus her family. A proponent of women's rights she also left money to a few married women friends, stating that their husbands are to have no control over the funds.
Her body is buried in an unmarked grave at Bunhill Fields
cemetery in the London Borough of Islington
.
She is commemorated under Westminster Bridge
(or Waterloo Bridge) by the Royal Festival Hall, the modern occupant of the Narrow Wall site. The bottom stone of a horse-mill used in her factory, a wheel-shaped millstone with a prominent internal axle lip, is placed on a 30-degree slope beside the under-bridge footpath.
in the City of London. Mrs was a courtesy title for any unmarried woman in business at that time.
In late 1769 Eleanor 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 Eleanor in charge, such that within two years (1771) she sacked Pincot for 'representing himself as the chief proprietor'. The product was marketed as Coade's Lithodipyra, meaning twice-fired stone, for the next 50 years.
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 Mrs Coade's succeeded.
John Bacon, a talented sculptor, had worked for Mrs Coade since 1769 so in 1771 she appointed him as works supervisor, he then took over both model-making and design until his death in 1799. His neo-classical models won both awards from the Society for the Encouragement of Arts
and royal patronage. In parallel Eleanor Coade developed her own talent as a modeller, exhibiting at the Society of Artists
between 1773 and 1780. Their joint success meant that the Coade Artificial Stone Manufactory worked for all the eminent Georgian architects, including Robert Adam
, James Wyatt
, Samuel Wyatt
, Sir William Chambers
, John Nash
, and John Soane
. Throughout this period of the late 18th century Mrs Coade also employed designers and modellers such as John Devaere (John De Vaere (1755–1830)) before he joined Josiah Wedgwood
in 1790, John Charles Felix Rossi
, Thomas Dubbin, Benjamin West
and Joseph Panzetta (1789–1830) who worked for her for over 26 years and whose most prominent work was Lord Hill's Column
in Shrewsbury.
After 1780 she was commissioned by King George III
to make the Gothic screen (and possibly also replace part of the ceiling) of St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle.
In 1784 she created a comprehensive catalogue of 746 designs that the company produced. It included statues
; busts; whole panels; friezes; fascia
; medal
lions; paterae; coats of arms; balusters; pinnacles; chimneypieces
; furniture; interior ornaments and mouldings. An important consequence of the ceramic moulding process was that moulds could be reused, some had a working life of over 50 years.
In 1799 Mrs Coade recruited her cousin John Sealy as a partner in her business, (Her mother’s sister Mary’s son), which then traded as 'Coade and Sealy' until his death, aged 64, in October 1813 when it reverted to just 'Coade'. She also opened a show room Coade’s Gallery on Pedlar's Acre at the Surrey end of Westminster Bridge
Road to display her products.
In 1813 she recruited William Croggon, a sculptor from Grampound
in Cornwall (a distant cousin by marriage, the brother-in-law of Eleanor's cousin William Oke, the son of her aunt Frances (née Enchmarch))), who remained as manager until her death, after which he bought the firm from her estate for circa £4,000 although he had expected to simply inherit it. From 1814 onwards Croggon paid rates for the factory. The business remained successful long after her death, but Croggon went bankrupt in 1833 because of both changing tastes and the failure of the Duke of York
to pay his debts.
She closely supervised both the preparation of clay mixtures and the firing process for all her products. Having bought Daniel Pincot's struggling business within two years she took the decision to sack him for disciplinary reasons, and confirmed her decision on September 11 and 14 by adverts in The Daily Advertiser, Gazetteer and The New Daily Advertiser.
She cultivated strong business relationships with respected architects and designers, including Robert Adam, James Wyatt, Hunphrey Repton, John Nash and Sir John Soane, because she could produce multiple copies of their designs. Her success may be gauged by Josiah Wedgewood's complaint that he 'could not get architects to endorse his new chimneypiece plaques'.
The factory produced large ceramic statues and all manner of decorative architectural features, which proved to be extremely durable even in London's corrosive atmosphere brought on by the use of coal. These included the frontispiece of the original Twinings
shop (tea merchants) on the Strand
; private ornaments in the rear of Buckingham Palace
; the lion on Westminster Bridge
, the Nelson
Pediment at the Royal Naval College
at Greenwich
(a mural above the terrace's main entrance reckoned by the Coade workers as the finest of all their work), the stone awning and statues at Schomberg House
, and the crest on the Imperial War Museum
. The plaques at Hammerwood Park
were also made of Coade stone.
Camberwell
Camberwell is a district of south London, England, and forms part of the London Borough of Southwark. It is a built-up inner city district located southeast of Charing Cross. To the west it has a boundary with the London Borough of Lambeth.-Toponymy:...
, London. Her obituary notice was published in The Gentleman's Magazine
The Gentleman's Magazine
The Gentleman's Magazine was founded in London, England, by Edward Cave in January 1731. It ran uninterrupted for almost 200 years, until 1922. It was the first to use the term "magazine" for a periodical...
which declared her ‘the sole inventor and proprietor of an art which deserves considerable notice’. Although it extolled the virtues of Coade Stone it contained no reference to her private life.
In her will and testament she left much of her fortune to charity schools and clergymen plus her family. A proponent of women's rights she also left money to a few married women friends, stating that their husbands are to have no control over the funds.
Her body is buried in an unmarked grave at Bunhill Fields
Bunhill Fields
Bunhill Fields is a cemetery in the London Borough of Islington, north of the City of London, and managed by the City of London Corporation. It is about 4 hectares in extent, although historically was much larger....
cemetery in the London Borough of Islington
London Borough of Islington
The London Borough of Islington is a London borough in Inner London. It was formed in 1965 by merging the former metropolitan boroughs of Islington and Finsbury. The borough contains two Westminster parliamentary constituencies, Islington North and Islington South & Finsbury...
.
She is commemorated under Westminster Bridge
Westminster Bridge
Westminster Bridge is a road and foot traffic bridge over the River Thames between Westminster on the north side and Lambeth on the south side, in London, England....
(or Waterloo Bridge) by the Royal Festival Hall, the modern occupant of the Narrow Wall site. The bottom stone of a horse-mill used in her factory, a wheel-shaped millstone with a prominent internal axle lip, is placed on a 30-degree slope beside the under-bridge footpath.
Business life
About 1760, the Coade family moved from Exeter to London, and by the mid-1760s Eleanor was running her own business as a Linen draperDraper
Draper is the now largely obsolete term for a wholesaler, or especially retailer, of cloth, mainly for clothing, or one who works in a draper's shop. A draper may additionally operate as a cloth merchant or a haberdasher. The drapers were an important trade guild...
in the City of London. Mrs was a courtesy title for any unmarried woman in business at that time.
In late 1769 Eleanor bought Daniel Pincot’s struggling artificial stone business at Kings Arms Stairs, Narrow Wall, Lambeth
Lambeth
Lambeth is a district of south London, England, and part of the London Borough of Lambeth. It is situated southeast of Charing Cross.-Toponymy:...
, a site now under the Royal Festival Hall
Royal Festival Hall
The Royal Festival Hall is a 2,900-seat concert, dance and talks venue within Southbank Centre in London. It is situated on the South Bank of the River Thames, not far from Hungerford Bridge. It is a Grade I listed building - the first post-war building to become so protected...
. This business developed into Coade's Artificial Stone Manufactory with Eleanor in charge, such that within two years (1771) she sacked Pincot for 'representing himself as the chief proprietor'. The product was marketed as Coade's Lithodipyra, meaning twice-fired stone, for the next 50 years.
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 Mrs Coade's succeeded.
John Bacon, a talented sculptor, had worked for Mrs Coade since 1769 so in 1771 she appointed him as works supervisor, he then took over both model-making and design until his death in 1799. His neo-classical models won both awards from the Society for the Encouragement of Arts
Royal Society of Arts
The Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufacturers and Commerce is a British multi-disciplinary institution, based in London. The name Royal Society of Arts is frequently used for brevity...
and royal patronage. In parallel Eleanor Coade developed her own talent as a modeller, exhibiting at the Society of Artists
Society of Artists
The Society of Artists of Great Britain was founded in London in May 1761 by an association of artists in order to provide a venue for the public exhibition of recent work by living artists, such as was having success in the long-established Paris salons....
between 1773 and 1780. Their joint success meant that the Coade Artificial Stone Manufactory worked for all the eminent Georgian architects, including Robert Adam
Robert Adam
Robert Adam was a Scottish neoclassical architect, interior designer and furniture designer. He was the son of William Adam , Scotland's foremost architect of the time, and trained under him...
, James Wyatt
James Wyatt
James Wyatt RA , was an English architect, a rival of Robert Adam in the neoclassical style, who far outdid Adam in his work in the neo-Gothic style.-Early classical career:...
, Samuel Wyatt
Samuel Wyatt
Samuel Wyatt was an English architect and engineer. A member of the Wyatt family, which included several notable 18th and 19th century English architects, his work was primarily in a neoclassical style.-Career:...
, Sir William Chambers
William Chambers (architect)
Sir William Chambers was a Scottish architect, born in Gothenburg, Sweden, where his father was a merchant. Between 1740 and 1749 he was employed by the Swedish East India Company making several voyages to China where he studied Chinese architecture and decoration.Returning to Europe, he studied...
, John Nash
John Nash (architect)
John Nash was a British architect responsible for much of the layout of Regency London.-Biography:Born in Lambeth, London, the son of a Welsh millwright, Nash trained with the architect Sir Robert Taylor. He established his own practice in 1777, but his career was initially unsuccessful and...
, and John Soane
John Soane
Sir John Soane, RA was an English architect who specialised in the Neo-Classical style. His architectural works are distinguished by their clean lines, massing of simple form, decisive detailing, careful proportions and skilful use of light sources...
. Throughout this period of the late 18th century Mrs Coade also employed designers and modellers such as John Devaere (John De Vaere (1755–1830)) before he joined Josiah Wedgwood
Josiah Wedgwood
Josiah Wedgwood was an English potter, founder of the Wedgwood company, credited with the industrialization of the manufacture of pottery. A prominent abolitionist, Wedgwood is remembered for his "Am I Not A Man And A Brother?" anti-slavery medallion. He was a member of the Darwin–Wedgwood family...
in 1790, John Charles Felix Rossi
John Charles Felix Rossi
-Life:John Charles Felix Rossi was born at Nottingham on 8 March 1762. His father, an Italian from Siena, was a quack doctor at Nottingham, and afterwards at Mountsorrell, Leicestershire. Rossi was sent to the studio of Giovanni Battista Locatelli, an Italian sculptor working in London...
, Thomas Dubbin, Benjamin West
Benjamin West
Benjamin West, RA was an Anglo-American painter of historical scenes around and after the time of the American War of Independence...
and Joseph Panzetta (1789–1830) who worked for her for over 26 years and whose most prominent work was Lord Hill's Column
Lord Hill's Column
Lord Hill's Column, outside the Shirehall , is one of the most notable landmarks of the town of Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England. The tallest Doric column in England, standing at 133 feet 6 inches , it commemorates Rowland Hill, 1st Viscount Hill, with a standing on the top of the column...
in Shrewsbury.
After 1780 she was commissioned by King George III
George III of the United Kingdom
George III was King of Great Britain and King of Ireland from 25 October 1760 until the union of these two countries on 1 January 1801, after which he was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland until his death...
to make the Gothic screen (and possibly also replace part of the ceiling) of St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle.
In 1784 she created a comprehensive catalogue of 746 designs that the company produced. It included statues
Statues
Statues is a popular children's game, often played in Australia but with versions throughout the world.-General rules:# A person starts out as the "Curator" and stands at the end of a field. Everyone else playing stands at the far end...
; busts; whole panels; friezes; fascia
Fascia (architecture)
Fascia is a term used in architecture to refer to a frieze or band running horizontally and situated vertically under the roof edge or which forms the outer surface of a cornice and is visible to an outside observer...
; medal
Medal
A medal, or medallion, is generally a circular object that has been sculpted, molded, cast, struck, stamped, or some way rendered with an insignia, portrait, or other artistic rendering. A medal may be awarded to a person or organization as a form of recognition for athletic, military, scientific,...
lions; paterae; coats of arms; balusters; pinnacles; chimneypieces
Fireplace mantel
Fireplace mantel or mantelpiece, also known as a chimneypiece, originated in medieval times as a hood that projected over a grate to catch the smoke. The term has evolved to include the decorative framework around the fireplace, and can include elaborate designs extending to the ceiling...
; furniture; interior ornaments and mouldings. An important consequence of the ceramic moulding process was that moulds could be reused, some had a working life of over 50 years.
In 1799 Mrs Coade recruited her cousin John Sealy as a partner in her business, (Her mother’s sister Mary’s son), which then traded as 'Coade and Sealy' until his death, aged 64, in October 1813 when it reverted to just 'Coade'. She also opened a show room Coade’s Gallery on Pedlar's Acre at the Surrey end of Westminster Bridge
Westminster Bridge
Westminster Bridge is a road and foot traffic bridge over the River Thames between Westminster on the north side and Lambeth on the south side, in London, England....
Road to display her products.
In 1813 she recruited William Croggon, a sculptor from Grampound
Grampound
Grampound is a village in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It is situated on the A390 road six miles west of St Austell.Grampound with Creed is the civil parish of which the village of Grampound and the village of Creed are the main settlements...
in Cornwall (a distant cousin by marriage, the brother-in-law of Eleanor's cousin William Oke, the son of her aunt Frances (née Enchmarch))), who remained as manager until her death, after which he bought the firm from her estate for circa £4,000 although he had expected to simply inherit it. From 1814 onwards Croggon paid rates for the factory. The business remained successful long after her death, but Croggon went bankrupt in 1833 because of both changing tastes and the failure of the Duke of York
Prince Frederick, Duke of York and Albany
The Prince Frederick, Duke of York and Albany was a member of the Hanoverian and British Royal Family, the second eldest child, and second son, of King George III...
to pay his debts.
Business methods
Coade's success as a business woman was very rare in the Georgian era. She was a hard-working individual who concentrated on methodical procedures to produce consistently high quality products. She was the first and only person to succeed in the artificial stone business thanks to a combination of managerial skills, entrepreneurial flare and a talent for marketing and public relations.She closely supervised both the preparation of clay mixtures and the firing process for all her products. Having bought Daniel Pincot's struggling business within two years she took the decision to sack him for disciplinary reasons, and confirmed her decision on September 11 and 14 by adverts in The Daily Advertiser, Gazetteer and The New Daily Advertiser.
She cultivated strong business relationships with respected architects and designers, including Robert Adam, James Wyatt, Hunphrey Repton, John Nash and Sir John Soane, because she could produce multiple copies of their designs. Her success may be gauged by Josiah Wedgewood's complaint that he 'could not get architects to endorse his new chimneypiece plaques'.
Coade stone business
Twinings
Twinings is a marketer of tea based in Andover, Hampshire, England.- History :The founder of Twinings, Thomas Twining, opened the first known tea room, at 216 Strand, London, in 1706, which is still operating today. The firm's logo, created in 1787, is one of the world's oldest in continuous use...
shop (tea merchants) on the Strand
Strand, London
Strand is a street in the City of Westminster, London, England. The street is just over three-quarters of a mile long. It currently starts at Trafalgar Square and runs east to join Fleet Street at Temple Bar, which marks the boundary of the City of London at this point, though its historical length...
; private ornaments in the rear of Buckingham Palace
Buckingham Palace
Buckingham Palace, in London, is the principal residence and office of the British monarch. Located in the City of Westminster, the palace is a setting for state occasions and royal hospitality...
; the lion on Westminster Bridge
Westminster Bridge
Westminster Bridge is a road and foot traffic bridge over the River Thames between Westminster on the north side and Lambeth on the south side, in London, England....
, the Nelson
Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson
Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson, 1st Duke of Bronté, KB was a flag officer famous for his service in the Royal Navy, particularly during the Napoleonic Wars. He was noted for his inspirational leadership and superb grasp of strategy and unconventional tactics, which resulted in a number of...
Pediment at the Royal Naval College
Old Royal Naval College
The Old Royal Naval College is the architectural centrepiece of Maritime Greenwich, a World Heritage Site in Greenwich, London, described by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation as being of “outstanding universal value” and reckoned to be the “finest and most...
at Greenwich
Greenwich
Greenwich is a district of south London, England, located in the London Borough of Greenwich.Greenwich is best known for its maritime history and for giving its name to the Greenwich Meridian and Greenwich Mean Time...
(a mural above the terrace's main entrance reckoned by the Coade workers as the finest of all their work), the stone awning and statues at Schomberg House
Schomberg House
Schomberg House is a mansion on the south side of Pall Mall in central London which has a colourful history. Only the street facade survives today. It was built for Meinhardt Schomberg, 3rd Duke of Schomberg, a Huguenot general in the service of the British crown...
, and the crest on the Imperial War Museum
Imperial War Museum
Imperial War Museum is a British national museum organisation with branches at five locations in England, three of which are in London. The museum was founded during the First World War in 1917 and intended as a record of the war effort and sacrifice of Britain and her Empire...
. The plaques at Hammerwood Park
Hammerwood Park
Hammerwood Park is a grade I listed country house near East Grinstead, Sussex, England at and Grade 1 listed of historical interest.- History :It was the first work of the architect Benjamin Latrobe...
were also made of Coade stone.
Sources
- Kelly, Alison, ‘Coade Stone in Georgian Gardens' Garden History, 16.2 (1988),109-133.
- Kelly, Alison, Mrs Coade's Stone (Upton-upon-Severn: Self-publishing Association, 1990).
- Kelly, Alison, ‘Coade, Eleanor (1733–1821)', rev., Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2004) accessed 22 Jan 2009.
- Roberts, Sir Howard and Walter H. Godfrey (eds) 'Coade's Artificial Stone Works', Survey of London: volume 23: Lambeth: South Bank and Vauxhall (London, 1951), pp. 58–61. british-history.ac.uk, accessed 22 Jan 2009.
- Eleanor Coade: Artificial Stone Manufacturer : Born Exeter 1733 and Died London 1821. Author - John Havill
External links
Gallery of images.- Plate 48: A view of Westminster Bridge, 1791. shows King's Arms Stairs in the foreground (possibly) with a sign advertising Coade's factory.
- COADE'S ARTIFICIAL STONE MANUFACTORY, circa 1800
- Plate 38a: Coade's Artificial Stone Manufactory 1801
- Plate 39a: The entrance to Coade and Sealy's Gallery of Sculpture, Westminster Bridge, 1802
- Coade stone factory, Narrow Wall, Lambeth, London, c1800.
- http://onelondonone.blogspot.com/2011/02/guest-blogger-judith-laik-carves-coade.htmlCoade and Sealey's Artificial Stone Factory, by Thomas Hosmer ShepherdThomas H. ShepherdThomas Hosmer Shepherd was a watercolor artist well known for his architectural works. Brother of topographical artist George "Sidney" Shepherd, Thomas was employed to illustrate architecture in London, and later Edinburgh, Bath and Bristol...
] - Parks and Gardens UK, Eleanor Coade - artist in artificial stone
- Coade_stone_in_Georgian_architecture.
