I like Chilstone Garden Ornaments. Compared to their rivals, they chose better originals to model and they have developed a superior process for casting stone. One can well believe the manufacturer’s claim that ‘once the ornament has taken on an antique patina it generally increases in value – many Chilstone items have been sold at Sotheby’s for many times their retail value’.  Chilstone was founded in 1953 and later moved to Sprivers in Kent. The four terms in the photograph show progressive phases in the weathering process. Chilstone Terms represent the four seasons – Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter. the spring of 2009 the prices were £592.00 each (+ VAT).

Note: a ‘Term’ can be defined as ‘a bust on a pedestal which tapers to the ground’. Like other senses of the word ‘term’ it comes from the Latin word for boundary or limit. Many Term sculptures represent the Roman god Terminus, who marked estate boundaries. The word ‘Herm’ used in connection with sculpture has a similar meaning but is used for statues of the god Hermes.