Chilstone Garden Ornaments and Architectural Stone

About Chilstone

Chilstone Garden Ornaments was founded in 1953 at Great Linford Manor in Buckinghamshire. In 1976 the company moved to Sprivers, a beautiful National Trust property. In 1996 it was felt that the new show gardens should be constructed at Langton Green, near Tunbridge Wells. The new show gardens were opened by Alan Titchmarsh in 1997.

Chilstone produce high end quality garden ornaments and hard landscaping that can be seen all over the world. Chilstone ornaments have featured in Gold, Silver, Silver-Gilt and Bronze winning gardens at the world renowned Chelsea Flower Show and can be seen in fine gardens, stately homes and national collections.

Opening Times

Winter Opening Times (November – February)
9.00am – 5.00pm, Monday to Friday
10.00am – 4.00pm, Saturday
10.00am – 4.00pm, Sunday

WEEKEND ORDER COLLECTIONS MUST BE BY PRIOR ARRANGEMENT

Summer Opening Times (March – November)
9.00am – 5.00pm, Monday to Friday
10.00am – 5.00pm Saturday
11.00am – 5.00pm Sunday

BANK HOLIDAYS
10.00 a.m. – 5.00 p.m.

Why clients choose Chilstone
Chilstone Garden Ornaments specialise in reproducing with complete accuracy and attention to detail some of the most beautiful and elegant antique and contemporary ornaments. Many of our historic ornaments can be seen in existing gardens, including Hever Castle, Kensington Palace and Kew Gardens. As an example the Chilstone Vine Urn originates from Holker Hall, the 17th century Lancashire home of the Cavendish family.

Each and every Chilstone ornament is handmade by our craftsmen in reconstituted stone by a special process developed over our long history to ensure a finished texture virtually indistinguishable from natural stone.

The colour & texture is a close approximation to natural Portland stone and its composition encourages the spontaneous growth of mosses and lichens, which rapidly give it the antiqued appearance of an original. This ensures that each ornament blends in harmoniously with its setting.

Once the ornament has taken on an antique patina it generally increases in value. It should be noted that several Chilstone pieces have been sold at Sotheby’s for many times their retail value, clearly making it a practical and excellent investment.

Chilstone can also be made in a variety of colours and we offer a colour matching service if a client requires new stone to match existing stonework. Samples are available on request.
Chilstone has one of the biggest collections of ornamental and architectural moulds in the UK. We specialise in copying and originating ornaments and architectural components.

We welcome commissions to meet clients’ bespoke needs and have produced a multitude of these over the years.

As an example a client commissioned two heraldic lions to be used at the entrance gates of an hotel, one left facing and one right facing, creating an impressive and imposing entrance to their property.

In addition, contemporary projects are also undertaken as Chilstone is such a versatile material and it can be moulded to virtually any shape.

Our team of dedicated craftsmen have over 140 years combined experience. Their highly skilled work can be seen at our extensive show gardens near Tunbridge Wells.

Our customers

Chilstone has thousands of customers all over the world and in the UK. Our ornaments are extensively displayed in many famous locations around the world including Kew Gardens (London), The Laskett Gardens (Herefordshire), Simonstown in Eire, The Longleat Estate (Bath), Barakura Gardens (Tokyo, Japan) and Hammenhog in Sweden.

We export our unique ornaments worldwide including the USA, Canada, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, Asia, Dubai and all over Europe. We can organise shipping and secure packing of any product to any location in the world.
Chilstone works closely with architects, designers, landscapers and above all members of the public. We ensure that their designs can become a reality and grace any garden.

Chilstone makes the ideal gift to mark a special occasion or anniversary. A stone bench, sundial, birdbath or an urn can be engraved to mark the special occasion. Commemorative inscriptions or plaques can also be set into walls and alcoves.

Show Gardens

The Chilstone Show Gardens are situated in an area of outstanding natural beauty 3 miles from Tunbridge Wells in Kent. Our beautiful gardens and workshops are based in Langton Green. The 35 acres of woodland, lakeside walks and show gardens feature many examples of our stonework which can be viewed in their natural surroundings, including a large display of working fountains, temples, antiqued urns, jardinières, sculpture and benches.

In addition we have a large stock area from which ornaments can be selected. We have a sculpture walk where we display exclusive works from many independent sculptors as well as many original Chilstone ornaments, some of which are over 40 years old.

Our clients can get an excellent perspective of size and scale of our ornaments by visiting the gardens before they make a purchase, thus enabling them to be absolutely confident in their choice.
Where else can you see Chilstone?

Chilstone is a recognised member of the Royal Horticultural Society. We often exhibit at The Chelsea and Hampton Court Flower Shows, where we have worked with some of the country’s leading Gold medal winning designers. The company also exhibits abroad, including trade shows in Dubai and Japan.

We are supporters of the NGS (National Garden Scheme). Our famous garden ornaments are displayed in some of the country’s leading gardens including Kew Gardens, Kensington Palace Gardens, Warwick Castle, The Laskett Gardens, Buscot Park, Bodnant Gardens, Pengersick Castle in Penzance.

Overseas Chilstone is featured in the Lily Pond at Matsuzaka city and the Barakura English Garden at Chino-shi Nagano, which was the first authentic English garden in Japan.

Complimentary services & information

• Why not give a Chilstone gift voucher?
Available in any denomination

• Engraving services (ask our staff for details)
• We can suggest professional companies to install our ornaments
• Advice on erecting fountains, temples and balustrading
• We have free fact sheets available on…

Methods of antiquing
Information on fountains
Building of large ornaments

• Design information and CAD (computer aided design) facility
• Comprehensive architectural range of stone components
• Exporting shipping and packing of Chilstone
• Colour matching
• Bespoke projects and commissions
• Our ornaments can be hired for photo or film shoots on location or displays
• Almost any Chilstone urn, tazza or statue can be adapted as a water feature
• A beautiful range of English summerhouses are on permanent display within the show gardens

Orders and deliveries
We hold an extensive stock at our show gardens which can be taken away or items can be made to order especially for you. We can arrange a delivery to any address across the world for an additional charge. Please contact our experienced staff to arrange the safe delivery of your orders.