Welcome to Chilstone’s News Blog

Come and join some of the top names in garden accessories at the new Open Weekend at our fully refurbished showgardens. Chilstone Garden Ornaments will be joined by the top name in garden fencing -  Jacksons Fine Fencing of Ashford and our friends  Cat & Mouse Landscapes who represent the very best in elegant summerhouses.

On Sept 4th and 5th, you are invited to explore all areas. Experience first-hand the creation of a Chilstone stone ornament in the workshop, view the new Jacksons Fine Fencing display in the show area and admire Cat & Mouse Landscape’s summer houses and gazebos.

Families can join in the fun by playing the large outdoor games that will be displayed throughout the showgardens and sculpture walk. These include a giant Connect 4 and chess set supplied by Manor Hire (www.Manor-hire.co.uk). See how many of these wonderful giant games you can find. There will be light refreshments available throughout the weekend including free tea, coffee and squash.

FREE ADMISSION AND PARKING

More lovely floral arrangements by our friend Simon

Summer has been great in our neck of the woods. So come and join us at another festive weekend at lovely Penshurst Place. Chilstone will be exhibiting again at this well attended craft show in the grounds of the historic home.

Chilstone will be demonstrating the fine art of making garden ornaments by hand. There will also be many other country skills on display such as wood carving, thatching and hand made jewellery – there will be something for everyone and it will be well worth visiting the show.  There are further details at www.ichf.co.uk. This show takes place on 11-13 September 2009.

A great big Thank You to everyone who came along to our latest Open Weekend at our Langton Green headquarters over the weekend of September 4th & 5th. There were giant games such as Drafts, Connect Four etc. Not to mention refreshments provided by David from Cat & Mouse Summerhouses and plenty of help from Louise and the lads from Jacksons.

Our showgardens are based on leafy Fordcombe Road, just around the corner from the village of Langton Green near Tunbridge Wells. The whole area is designated an area of outstanding Natural Beauty (and not just because we are there!)  there is lots to see and do nearby such as a visit to the stylish town of Royal Tunbridge Wells with it’s many shops and restaurants, or the pretty village of Groombridge with its lovely gardens. There are also some renowned pubs nearby, so there are many good reasons to pay us a visit!

Craftsman Kevin Richardson is seen here modelling the very latest in classical columns for an important export order to New Zealand. The handmade columns in the photo have been specially adapted for our customer who wanted a handrail to be incorporated into a classical collonade in a new architectural development.

Adaptations of this kind are all in a days work for our architectural team as no two building projects are quite the same and many of our architectural projects are one of a kind.

Garden designers Bob and Sally Cook chose a novel way to sign off on their latest commission with a signed armillary sphere. Bob and  Sally commissioned Chilstone to create the ornament as a lasting memorial to their work on a new Italian garden.

Chilstone have a fabulous range of armillary spheres that can be used in this way. An armillary is somewhat similar to a sundial but is far more complicated in use. The outer rings refer to the planes of the ecliptic and tropics of cancer and capricorn. It is possible to tell the time with such an instrument provided it is set up correctly.

The sculpture walk

Following on from the success of our Open Weekend in April, we are delighted to announce another opportunity to meet the Chilstone team on the weekend of 4th & 5th of September.

There will be a chance to see our range of Jackson fencing newly installed at our showgardens and the new summerhouses gaily decorated by our friends at Cat & Mouse. These summerhouses are so pretty and infinitely useful for entertaining, partying or just lolling about reading a book. Delightful and what better time to visit a summerhouse but in the Summer?

Once again there will be an exhibition of exciting new pieces by noted British sculptors dotted around our showgardens, which are now looking at their very best in the Summer sunshine.

As always there will be special deals to be had and a chance to spend some time by our beautiful lakes.

The fountain court

A great favorite of garden designers

The famous Chilstone bench seat can be seen in many elegant gardens. It’s success is largely due to the contemporary spareness of the design coupled with the ornate legs – a pleasing compination – it is also very comfortable!

Based on a design actually dating from 1690 the Chilstone bench is a revival of an original from Longnor Hall in Shropshire.

Flora models a colour wash

We are often asked about weathering or ageing ornaments and if there are any tips for the owner of a snow white, crisp new ornament.

For some owners the pristine look will do very well. This would be the case with a new build property or in a garden where everything is brand new. In this example an ancient looking ornament would stand out like a weed in a rose garden. However, many gardens are attached to lovely old properties and the aged look is particularly appreciated in Europe and North America. In this case the pristine look can easily be altered to fit in with the rest of the property.

A simple colour wash will do the trick and ‘knock away’ the bright newness of the piece. This can be achieved with a very weak solution of black acrylic paint (easily obtainable from an artists supplier) or external house paint. Several applications will make the piece age further and further into the past. More expert treatments include adding a fine layer of powdery cement over the top and then applying the colour wash. This is not recommended for a Chilstone ornament! Left to itself, time will work its magic.

Other tricks are to leave the ornament in a patch of stinging nettles which seems to do the work of ages! Lichen can be attracted to the piece with the application of a layer of natural yogurt. There is nothing so beautiful as a velvetty covering of lichen on a well crafted ornament.

The above picture illustrates the effect of a simple application of a colour wash. Additional washes with enhance the effect. Note also that the artificial ageing technique will not harm the piece and it will still age in the normal way!

A selection of high quality fencing at Chilstone

Chilstone have long been associated with fine gardens and so we are pleased to announce that the greatest name in garden fencing, Jacksons are now a feature of our beautiful Kent showgardens.  According to Chilstone general manager, Steve Clark, “Jacksons Fine Fencing have a 60 year history of producing premium quality garden fencing and railings and we are pleased to welcome them onto our site. Many of our customers have a requirement for very high quality garden fittings and we are now able to help them with their fencing needs along with architectural and garden stonework”.

The Ashford based fencing company have installed a display of various garden fencing around the showgardens including gates and protective railings. The company are also noted for their unique Jakcure treatment that will guarantee their fencing for an impressive 25 years!

Everything in the garden is lovely

In recent  years Chilstone has invited a number of carefully chosen partners to join us in our Kent showgardens. We know that there is more to a garden than ornaments and so we have included wooden summerhouses and most recenly, a range of beautiful fencing from our friends at Jacksons – the top name in quality fencing. This picture has been sent in by one of our customers who bought a Cat & Mouse Summerhouse and a fountain with decorative pool surround from our showgardens in Langton Green.

It looks like a lovely place to unwind and relax in the evening after a day in the office, doesn’t it?