Rock Stars
Chilstone of Tunbridge Wells are a
cheaper yet performs equally well to most
of Chilstone’s sculptures made from a very
successful company that every landscape
common stones. It does not flake, it can
advanced, and expensive, polycarbonate
architect and designer should know.
be coloured to match existing stone and
that will not yellow in sunlight and has an
For over 60 years Chilstone has been
it can be integrated with stainless steel
appearance identical to ice and, for the first
making premium quality ornaments and
reinforcements if necessary; all of which
time at Chelsea, a specially commissioned
architectural components for discerning
would be impossible with natural stone. It
outdoor carpet from Germany. Talented
customers all over the world.
is also homogeneous throughout which
Many fine gardens contain Chilstone works
means that it can be cut easily.
including The Laskett, The Temperate
House at Kew Gardens, Hever and Warwick
Castles to name but a few. Chilstone
remains an English, hand-made product
created by craftsmen at the Chilstone
workshops in Langton Green near
Tunbridge Wells in Kent. The company
makes an extensive range of classical and
contemporary works and claims to have the
largest collection of moulds in the UK.
Chilstone provide a full range of hard
landscaping components from small
Chilstone benches on Magna Carta memorial
Chilstone have worked with many
designers and in recent years have been
a fixture at the RHS shows, particularly
helping designers at the RHS Chelsea
Flower Show and the Hampton Court
Flower Show. Chilstone work closely with
designers and are capable of creating
unique items where necessary. The
company have worked on four gardens
including a Gold and Silver Gilt and all the
gardens have won medals. Chilstone have a
lot of experience in architectural stone and
this has helped in the creation of modern
contemporary gardens which typically
contain innovative stonework.
The company is based in a leafy 35 acre
site close to Tunbridge Wells in Kent
planters and birdbaths, large stone garden
garden designer, Jack Dunckeley is
buildings, temples, balustrading runs and
another fan of Chilstone’s architectural
a whole variety of statuary and garden
stonework using it in two fabulous gardens,
fountains. The company can also repair
Juxtaposition at Hampton Court in 2012
or replace damaged or lost works as they
and again in Just Retirement at the 2013
have done in Kew gardens and Kensington
show. In both gardens the bold use of
Palace, where the company replaced a lost
Chilstone stonework creates a stunning and
set of Pulhamite Planters from the Victorian
solid permanence to the striking designs.
era. A notable case was the rebuilding
At this year’s show, Tony Smith used
and replication of a set of garden urns
Chilstone’s urns in his 25th anniversary
once owned by Florence Nightingale at
maze and Wardrop Garden Designs used
Embley Park. In 2011 Chilstone worked
with noted designer Heather Appleton to
create a garden featuring their Chelsea
Temple (which had already featured in a
Gold Medal winning Garden in 1982). A
unique artificial ice sculpture, a copy of one
“These urns by Decimus Burton were
recreated by Chilstone to replace originals
lost in the War.”
Chilstone George IV urns, statuary and
balustrading in her award winning garden
‘A Growing Obsession’. Perhaps you too
will create an award winning garden with
Chilstone garden ornaments.
and the Chilstone product is noted for a
textured surface identical to natural carved
stone, in fact it is very difficult to tell the
difference and the surface encourages
weathering, which can also be accelerated
through chemical means. The company
also claims that their product has many
advantages over natural stone as it is
12 Landscape & Urban Design Issue 15
www.chilstone.com