Best Vintage

Our customers often ask if they can purchase the items on display in our show gardens, but we rarely sell them. It takes time for our handcrafted stone to develop a rich patina. Sometimes our pieces grow beautiful moss or lichen, adding to the decoration. Our vintage garden ornaments and planters can increase in value as they age and have been sold in some of the major auction houses across the country. Due to popular demand we are selling a small number of our vintage pieces. But be quick, because they are unique and in limited supply.

Greatly Admired

At Chilstone we have been handcrafting stone garden ornaments and architectural stone to the finest standards for seven decades. Our work is made to order. We never use factories or mechanical production techniques like some of our competitors. We use hand tools the way we always have, to create the best quality finish for our clients.  In that time we have had the pleasure of making bespoke commissions for some famous establishments, such as Kew Gardens and Hever Castle, but we value every one of our clients.

One of the key benefits of our cast stone is that it weathers like natural stone, but this adaptable material enables us to reproduce classical garden features, like the planters we created for Kensington Palace and offer them to our customers. This allows us to create high quality features for gardens that stand the test of time.

Our handmade urns have adorned the Temperate House at Kew Gardens for decades.

Vintage Chilstone Web Page

While some clients like to paint our stonework others prefer a well weathered patina. In fact our weathered stone is both highly prized and sought after.  In response to requests from our clients we have launched a new page online dedicated to our vintage pieces. We have selected a few items and listed them for sale. If you see something you would love to feature in your garden please give our friendly team a call. The products are distinctive and no two pieces weather in the same way. These will be sold on a first come first served basis. We recommend checking in regularly to avoid disappointment! We also deliver our handmade products all over the world.

This statue of Persephone has a mixture of lichens growing on the surface of the stone.

Vintage Stone

Vintage stone adds a timeless quality to your outside space. Well weathered items work seamlessly in established gardens, blending with other stonework and planting schemes. They also have their own charm as moss creeps over the base and adds extra character. This sundial has a thick mossy covering that looks magical in a heavy frost, like it escaped from Narnia or a fairy tale!

Chilstone sundial plinth covered in moss.

Sentimental

But we are certainly not clearing out our show gardens! Some of our vintage garden ornaments are just too loved by our staff to ever sell. This Longleat Urn has been in our gardens since the 1960s and is too treasured to part with. We hope that you will feel the same way about our pieces once they are in your garden. We love how the moss has grown over the lid and in-between the handcrafted details, making this so beautifully unique. This is a prime example of why well weathered stone is so admired.

This impressive Longleat Urn has been on display for decades in our show gardens.

Likewise, our much loved Richmond fountain in our show garden is positioned beneath a large Oak tree and has developed a deep coffee patina that can’t be quickly replicated. Another treasure in our collection.

Our popular Richmond Fountain.

Grow Your Own

Of course moss will grow on new stone over time and watching your garden develop is half the fun, but for those people who want to quickly establish a vintage feel to their garden, adding a garden ornament with moss growth will do the trick! You don’t have to choose an intricate piece. From iconic staddlestones, the ultimate in British agricultural heritage to the classical urns, they will develop their own unique moss coverings that will increase over time. But our vintage stone has a head start to make your garden look unique.

Iconic Staddlestones with dotted moss growth.

Moss and lichen growth on a classical urn base.

Even contemporary statues like our Chilstone Doves can develop a light covering and on a mossy pedestal they almost appear to to be nesting!

Classic Chilstone Doves Statue on a mossy vintage pedestal.

A Deeper Patina

Our stone develops a rich patina over time.  A patina results from the oxidation of the stone when it is exposed to the elements over the years. It is highly prized as weathered stone highlights the handcrafted details. The contrast in the tone and texture from lichen growth gives the feel that nature is reclaiming the stone, blurring the lines between garden planting and stone features and blending them into an overall garden design.

This statue’s character come to life as its patina develops a rich tone.

Popular Pieces For Sale

We will be regularly updating our Vintage Chilstone page so be sure to check in and see what’s on offer.

We currently have some planters inspired from our best selling Kew Fountain and some uniquely weathered statues but we have very limited stocks, often there is only one available so miss it and you will miss out!

Vintage Chilstone Lion Statue with ivy and moss.

Our show gardens are open by appointment and our phone lines are open 7 days a week. Call our friendly team for more information.