Reclaimed and antique stone is naturally weathered giving unique style to any garden or yard. Stone such as granite, slate, limestone, sandstone or marble can be reused in your garden design for walls, patios, paving, steps, raised beds and garden ornament such as sundials, fountains, statues, urns, benches, pedestals and planters. 

Well chosen from a reliable source with simple maintenance reclaimed and antique stone can also last a lifetime or more. Examples of historical reuse are still evident today.

In a SalvoNEWS feature, 'Reclaimed and Antique Stone'  March 1995,  no. 26, Salvo founder Thornton Kay writes, 'many of the 18th-century buildings in the Northumberland area are made with Roman stones.' Then in a field, near the village of Heddon-on-the-Wall is a wall made with 'reclaimed Roman stone at its base'. The famous Hadrian's Wall, built by the Romans, is not far away. Locals have also used Roman stone for their garden terraces and rockeries.

Historical reclaimed and antique stone often comes with a story, which is part of its appeal. Garden ornaments sourced from specialist antique garden dealers and auction houses often have provenance. This gives an additional wow factor to a garden feature with an interesting past life.

In the article, Thornton describes a story linked to a statue: 'Newgate Gaol was demolished in 1902 and four of its Portland Stone statues came up for auction at Sotheby's in 1991.'  The skills of 18th-century stone carvers have been highly praised, and one example, 'Danish stone carver, Cauis Gabriel Cibber (1670 to 1700), settled in London where he became a foreman in the masonry workshops of John Stone in the 1650s. He became the first of the new school of stone and marble carvers who inspired the renaissance of stone carving in 18th-century England.' However, after John Stone's death in 1667, Cibber's life was to take a turn for the worse: 'His skill as a carver was not accompanied by financial adeptness and he ended up in a debtors prison, possibly Newgate.' Where in a strange turn of fate, he was allowed out to work and created the first important monumental civic stone tableau in England. He carved, in Portland stone, the base of the Monument to commemorate the Great Fire of London, 1666. Cibber then went on to carve statues, some of which were for Newgate Gaol itself. 

Newgate Gaol was demolished in 1902 and much later 'four Portland Stone statues came up for auction at Sotheby's in 1991'. The origin of the statues was not known but 'auctioneer and statuary expert, James Ryland suggested they may have come 'from a prison building because of a chain carved among the flowers on the figure of Plenty.' This was proven to be correct, when the buyers of two of the statues, Crowthers of Syon Lodge, matched them to photographs of Newgate Gaol. 

Thornton goes on to explain: 'Normally things are not so neat. Thousands of hours are spent by top dealers researching provenance. In the course of this, they uncover documentary and anecdotal evidence that has never been recorded in books. Unfortunately, they do not often re-record their findings for posterity. This is a shame on two counts. Firstly, the knowledge gained would be useful in the public domain, simply in that it would add greatly to what is known and could encourage further research on more obscure topics. Secondly, the minor academics and professionals in the conservation world believe that they have an exclusive expertise and knowledge in this area and are completely unaware of the amount of pent-up knowledge in the world of the dealer.'

Discover antique & reclaimed garden stone for sale on the SalvoWEB marketplace together with a directory of dealers. Look out for Salvo Code members. Salvo Code antique and reclamation dealers can now share provenance stories and showcase the environmental benefits of their stock with Salvo's newly launched Truly Reclaimed® label.

Unfortunately, reuse and care for the environment has not always been a priority and in the SalvoNEWS feature, Thornton continues, 'Stone has been used and reused throughout history. It is probably only in the comparatively recent past that sound building stone with much residual life remaining in it has been callously consigned to the scrap heap.' Provenance research by dealers adds historical depth to reclaimed materials, though much of this knowledge remains undocumented and stories are easily lost with the exchange of owner. Through Truly Reclaimed, curious customers can discover the impact of reuse and the past lives of materials.

Tips & image credits 

Reclaimed building materials can be sourced in bulk quantities on the SalvoWEB marketplace - useful for landscaping and other construction projects.

Images show some examples of reclaimed and antique stone and antique and reclaimed stone garden ornament, with prices where relevant: 

Image one:

Salvo Fair: Ronsons Reclaim, Salvo Code member with antique and reclaimed stone garden ornament with celebrity shopper, Richard E. Grant.

Image two:

Carved in Portland stone, Willam IV, circa 1835, sundial for sale from Salvo Code member, Architectural Heritage.

It features an excellent plate marked 'Stebbing Southampton' – this relates to the maker Joseph Rankin Stebbing, born 1809 and the son of George Stebbing, an optician and nautical instrument maker from Portsmouth. Please see J. H. Stebbing and Brothers Trade Card.

In addition to the maker, there is the Latitude of the original setting of the sundial: 50 degrees 57 minutes, and the family crest of the Yeo Family – presumably, this sundial was originally for one of their houses in the Southwest. Recent provenance to a now developed property in Salisbury.

Price on application. Stock Number: 15429/GSO

Image three:

Reclaimed drystone walling stone in bulk bags, for sale on the SalvoWEB marketplace, antique & reclaimed sector from Salvo member, Britannia Stone. 

£120 per ton/tonne

Images four & five: 

Both items are for sale in the Salvo Shop from Salvo Code member, The Architectural Forum.

Truly Reclaimed sandstone flagstones 600m2 available, 

£ 144 per sqm 

Truly Reclaimed Antique carved red sandstone cherub statuary element

£2,500

Images six & seven:  

March 1995, SalvoNEWS front cover featuring, 'Reclaimed and Antique Stone' by Thornton Kay and from the same year, a Walcot Reclamation catalogue, garden ornament price list. In 1995, prices for reclaimed & antique stone started from £125 for staddle stones, troughs, millstones and benches.

The cover shows Hadrian's wall plus the Portland stone statue, Plenty by Caius Gabriel Cibber c1676 sold at auction by Sotheby's in 1991, price £55,000. Photo courtesy of Syon Lodge.