Bench thumbnail 1
Bench thumbnail 2
On display
Image of Gallery in South Kensington

Bench

late 19th century (made)
Artist/Maker
Coalbrookdale Company (makers)
Place of origin
England (made)

Garden bench of cast iron with a mythological style pastoral scene.

Object details

Categories
Metalwork
Ironwork
Object type
Bench
Materials and techniques
Cast iron, painted
Cast Iron
Forging (Metal Forming)
Painting
Brief description
Garden bench, cast iron, made by the Coalbrookdale Company, England, late 19th century
Physical description
Garden bench of cast iron with a mythological style pastoral scene.
Dimensions
  • Height: 102cm
  • Width: 167cm
  • Depth: 67cm
Gallery label
(07/1994)
GARDEN BENCH
Cast iron
England; c. 1870
Made by the Coalbrookdale Company

Coalbrookdale had a number of cast iron garden seats in its catalogues from the 1830s onwards. This one was called the "Medallion" pattern, and, like others in the range, was available in a selection of colours: green, chocolate, bronze, or "painted oak".

The Coalbrookdale ironworks were established in 1706 by Abrahan Darby (1678-1717), the first ironmaster to successfully smelt iron with coke. This breakthrough led to the mass-production of cast iron on an industrial scale, and contributed to the Industrial Revolution as a whole. The first iron bridge - which gave its name to the nearby town, iron rails and steam locomotives were produced there, but in the 19th century the Company was also a major manufacturer of domestic cast and wrought iron goods. Its catalogues offered appliances ranging from umbrella stands to fireplaces, fruit plates and garden furniture.

Museum No. M.6-1979
Object history
Made by the Coalbrookdale Company. Coalbrookdale had a number of cast iron garden seats in its catalogues from the 1830s onwards. This one was called the "Medallion" pattern, and, like others in the range, was available in a selection of colours: green, chocolate, bronze, or "painted oak". The Coalbrookdale ironworks were established in 1706 by Abrahan Darby (1678-1717), the first ironmaster to successfully smelt iron with coke. This breakthrough led to the mass-production of cast iron on an industrial scale, and contributed to the Industrial Revolution as a whole. The first iron bridge - which gave its name to the nearby town, iron rails and steam locomotives were produced there, but in the 19th century the Company was also a major manufacturer of domestic cast and wrought iron goods. Its catalogues offered appliances ranging from umbrella stands to fireplaces, fruit plates and garden furniture.
Bibliographic references
  • Campbell, Marian. An Introduction to Ironwork. London: Her Majesty's Stationery Office, 1985. 48 p., ill. ISBN 0112904157 fig.12, p.15
  • Ames, A. Collecting Cast Iron. Ashbroune, 1980. pp.100-101
  • The Coalbrookdale Ironworks: A Short History. Ironbridge, 1975
  • Trinder, B. The Coalbrookdale Museum of Iron: A Guide to the Museum and the Old Furnace. Ironbridge, 1979.
  • Trinder, B. The Darbys of Coalbrookdale. Chichester, 1974.
Collection
Metalwork Collection
Accession number
M.6-1979

About this object record

Explore the Collections contains over a million catalogue records, and over half a million images. It is a working database that includes information compiled over the life of the museum. Some of our records may contain offensive and discriminatory language, or reflect outdated ideas, practice and analysis. We are committed to addressing these issues, and to review and update our records accordingly.

You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.

Suggest feedback

Record createdJune 24, 2009
Record URL
https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O380051/bench-coalbrookdale-company/
Download as: JSONIIIF Manifest