BCD 2017

T H E B U I L D I N G C O N S E R VAT I O N D I R E C T O R Y 2 0 1 7 87 MASONRY 3.2 ARTIFICIAL STONE 19th-century cementitious sculpture and rockwork SIMON SWANN T HE TERM artificial stone can be applied to a variety of products intended to imitate and replace natural stone, especially those which were produced in a workshop by a moulding process. This definition helps to distinguish them from stucco and render mouldings made on site. By the 19th century, artificial or imitation stone probably already had a long and significant history, but there were significant developments in the use of the material in the mid-18th and early 19th centuries. Key to these was the introduction in 1769 of Coade Stone, a type of terracotta. Its success demonstrated the potential for the manufacture of a moulded material that could replicate free-standing stone sculpture and architectural enrichments, and which could be purchased from a catalogue. Other materials were also used, including Ransome’s Artificial Stone, which was made from about the mid-19th century and was silicate based. The following article, however, focusses on mortar- and cement-based artificial stones. Critical to this development was the introduction of the first calcareous cement by James Parker, who patented what was to become known as Roman cement in 1796. In the same year Parker and Co were advertising the manufacture of ‘Coping-Stones, Window- Sills, Blocking and String Courses, Balustres, Gothick Ornaments, and others of this nature, cheaper than can be executed in natural stone’ ( The Cement Industry , see Further Information). It appears that the potential of this rapid-hardening natural cement for the casting of architectural and decorative elements was recognised almost immediately. However, it was not until the early 19th century that the use of artificial stone began to flourish following the development of workshops such as William Lockwood’s in Woodbridge and then London (c1820) and the Artificial Stone Works of Felix Austin (known as Austin and Seeley from c1840). Felix Austin commenced manufacture of his artificial stone in about 1814 from a base at Rotherhithe. SCULPTURE AND ARCHITECTURAL ORNAMENT There was often a close link between artificial stone makers and the plastering traditions. Lockwood’s business, for example, seems to have been based largely on plastering, but it is evident that the firm’s London showrooms exhibited a large number of cement castings including coats of arms and exterior ornament. These items were Original surface texture and colour visible on the underside of a dolphin tazza sculpture, cast by Felix Austin in the early 1830s using patent Portland cement and Portland stone aggregate (both photos: Simon Swann) cast in Roman cement and Lockwood’s ‘Portland Stone Cement’, and were an important aspect of his business. By contrast, Felix Austin’s works was a dedicated artificial stone works, producing catalogues by the 1830s of his artificial stone products, and his 1838 catalogue is titled A Collection of Ornaments for Gardens, Parks, and Pleasure Grounds; and for every style of Building . The success of this