In the 1970s they were moved by the current Marquis of Lansdowne to the portico of the entrance to the main house. Here they were enjoyed by visitors and occasionally used as a lace-up stool for shoes.
In need of quite extensive restoration, the vases were placed into the care of Stephen Pettifer and his team at Coade who were commissioned to carry out the work. According to Pettifer, Coade stone, developed in the 18th century by the visionary Eleanor Coade, offers a unique blend of durability, exquisite detail, and the appearance of natural stone.
Eleanor Coade, a successful businesswoman of her time, was sought after by renowned architects, and her work can be found throughout the British Isles and beyond. Remarkably resistant to harsh weather conditions, many of her creations remain in pristine condition even after two centuries.
When Pettifer discovered that the use of Coade stone as a sculptural medium had declined and the techniques had been lost over time, he embarked on a mission to revive and perfect the original recipe and production methods from the mid-1700s.
The Bowood vases are a fine example of Coade’s work. Pettifer found that the original iron dowel that connected the vase to its socle had rusted and expanded, blowing the socle apart. He carefully deconstructed the vases on site and then transported them to his studio at Wilton House. He removed the dowel, pinned the socle together, and fitted a replacement stainless steel dowel. Some elements of the vases that had broken and been lost over time, including two lion masks and some foliate turnovers, were replaced in Coade stone.
