Porty Pillars

The  decoration on this Coade Pillar on Portobello Prom almost mirrors the English football insignia on the T-shirts of the Lionesses who have provided us with enjoyment and the BBC with all their news headlines since Sunday.
I am delighted that the girls won the European Cup but somehow I think heading every news bulletin  for 15 minutes over 3 days with the celebrations is somewhat excessive given more important world news. Just saying…..


The formula for making Coade Stone is:-
10% grog
5–10% crushed flint
5–10% fine quartz
10% crushed soda lime glass
60–70% ball clay from Dorset and Devon

This mixture was also referred to as "fortified clay", which was kneaded before insertion into a 1,100 °C (2,000 °F) kiln for firing over four days[9] – a production technique very similar to brick manufacture.