Pride of place Collecting
As summer beckons, the desire for somewhere to rest and admire our horticultural triumphs comes into sharp focus. At such a time, what could be more fitting than a garden seat wrought with passion flowers, or threaded with lily of the valley, ferns, or blackberries? Even convolvulus can be welcomed if cast in iron, rather than rampaging through the roses.
It's thanks to Coalbrookdale that gardeners today have this array of attractive and robust cast-iron furniture at their disposal. The pioneering company was the brainchild of Abraham Darby I (1678–1717) who, in 1709, took over a derelict foundry in Coalbrookdale, a village crouched in a Shropshire gorge, with coal mines set into the side of the valley.
