Explore new displays at our after-hours event

[In the event that online bookings for this event have sold out, you may still be able to attend by collecting a ticket at the door. Please note that walk‑in tickets are offered on a first‑come, first‑served basis and depend on venue capacity on the night.]

About this event

When: Thursday 17 September, 5.15pm to 8pm (last entry 7.30pm)

Join us in the Museum after-hours this September for the launch of a series of new displays centred around design and innovative materials.

Explore our brand new display, Mrs Coade's Stone: cast to last, which uncovers the genius of Mrs Coade, a pioneering businesswoman responsible for the success of 'Coade stone'. Coade stone is a type of artificial stone material used in some of the ornamentation around the Bank of England's building.

Plus, you can also catch A Kind of Exchange, our pop-up exhibition in partnership with the Royal College of Arts for the London Design Festival. Discover the works of 12 artists working with unconventional materials.

You’ll be able to explore the Museum at your own pace and dive deeper through a series of special late-only activities themed around the event.

About the talk: 'Who was Mistress Eleanor Coade?', 6pm, Learning Space

Booking is required for this talk. Please select '6pm Talk + General Admission' as your ticket type when you book to attend on the following screen - this will cover admittance to both the late event and the talk. In the event that this ticket type has sold out, you may still be able to attend the talk on the night. Please note, these walk-in spaces are allocated on a first-come first-served basis at 6pm after ticket-holders have been seated.

If you have booked a ticket for the talk, please ensure you arrive promptly to the Museum's Learning Space for 6pm. We cannot guarantee admittance if you are late for the talk, even if you have booked a ticket.

-

Find out more about the life of Eleanor Coade, the exceptional female entrepreneur and brand pioneer whose fired artificial stone transformed architecture and sculpture in the late 18th century. Afte her early beginnings in the Exeter wool trade, via linen trading off Cheapside, around 1770 Coade stepped in to rescue a failing ornamental stone manufactory in Lambeth and went on to run it for the next fifty years. A branding pioneer, she was the first woman to give her name to an internationally know product, navigating the male world of buildinging supply with ease. John Soane, architect of the 1790s Bank of England, described her material as ‘Coade’s marvel’ and notably used her caryatids to support one of its iconic domes.

This talk will look at Coade’s life and achievements, as well as her artificial stone’s contribution to Soane’s buildings and the streetscapes and buildings of Georgian London.

About the speaker:

Dr Caroline Stanford has been in-house historian for the Landmark Trust since 2001, working on all their restoration projects of buildings at risk. Her interest in Mrs Coade began in 2004 when the trust took on Belmont, Coade's seaside villa in Lyme Regis. In 2026, she completed a doctorate from the University of Oxford on Eleanor Coade & Fired Artificial Stone 1650 - 1850. Caroline speaks and writes widely on all aspects of Landmark's work - and on Eleanor Coade.

-

In the event that online bookings for this event have sold out, you may still be able to attend by collecting a ticket at the door. Please note that walk‑in tickets are offered on a first‑come, first‑served basis and depend on venue capacity on the night. To guarantee your spot for next time, consider signing up to our newsletter; all our subscribers receive early access tickets for our events.

Essential information:

The event is free to attend, but booking is required. To attend the 6pm talk, please select the correct ticket type ('6pm Talk + General Admission') when you make your booking.

In the event that online bookings for this event have sold out, you may still be able to attend by collecting a ticket at the door. Please note that walk‑in tickets are offered on a first‑come, first‑served basis and depend on venue capacity on the night.

The event will begin at 5.15pm. The Museum will close temporarily at 5pm for security reasons, and reopen 15 minutes later.

The venue must be vacated by 8pm. Last entry to this event is 7.30pm.

Please note there is airport-style security at the Museum's entrance.

For access enquiries, visit our Museum's accessibility page.

Description supplied by the event organiser.