The Firing

A reimagining of the life of an extraordinary eighteenth-century woman.

Eleanor Coade was a British sculptor and businesswoman whose artificial stone – Coade stone – was used by every leading architect of her day, and can still be found throughout London, the UK and abroad.

Eleanor wants to sculpt, but family bankruptcy forces her into work. She becomes a linen draper – a trade open to women. Trapped in the role of family provider, she finds inspiration in the statuary and stonework of Georgian London. When she buys a failing artificial stone manufactory, she hopes to transform its fortunes. But, as an unmarried woman, can she succeed in the patriarchal worlds of art and business? And what of her dreams of marriage and children?

The Firing is a rags to riches tale of talent, determination, creativity and friendship, told with humour and warmth.