The fine details of its modelling still remain clear after centuries of exposure to the corrosive atmosphere of London.
Every leading architect of the time used it, and its examples can be found all over the world.
Coade stone lion on Westminster Bridge, London.
Photo:ddub3429/Shutterstock.com
Coade stone looks and feels exactly like worked stone, but it isnt stone at all.
It is a jot down of ceramic called stoneware.
Low temperature firing results in earthenware (terracotta, pottery, bricks etc.).
Higher temperature causes vitrification of the clay and results in a much tougher material called porcelain.
An even higher temperature is needed to produce stoneware.
These are dense, impermeable, noncorrosive and resistant to scratching.
On the contrary, she sold linen.
Within two years, Eleanor Coade had fired Daniel Pincot and nothing more is known about him.
An engraving of the Coade Stone Factory yard at Narrow Wall, Lambeth, London, in about 1800.
The crowning achievement of her career was gaining the royal appointment to both George III and the Prince Regent.
Eleanor Coade died in 1821.
Her stone remained in use for another two decades before it was replaced by another marvelous inventionPortland cement.
There is an enduring myth that the secret of Coade stone died with Eleanor Coade.
But this is not true.
This was possible because neither Pincot nor the Coades sought for a patent.
That Coade stone was a single, patented formula is perhaps the most persistent myth, writes Caroline Stanford.
The Coade clay mixture was prepared and pressed into the mould by hand.
Many old Coade stone pieces still carry fingerprints of Coades workers on the inside.
This was the most critical stage of the process.
Often the kilnsman stayed awake all night working the fire to keep the temperature constant.
He didnt always get it rightsometimes the iron rods corroded and cracks developed.
These batches were rejected by Eleanor Coade who strived to maintain the highest standards of quality control.
But most of the time, the Coade stones came out of the kiln in supreme.
Eleanor Coade never married.
Father Thames, a Coade stone sculpture by John Bacon, in the grounds of Ham House, Richmond.
Photo:RookPaparazzo/Shutterstock.com
One of a pair of Coade stone sphinxes at Croome Park, Worcestershire.
