£550.00
This is a highly charming and exceptionally tactile late 19th-century equestrian boot scraper, beautifully preserved on its original, hand-dressed Yorkshire stone block. Crafted during the late Victorian era (circa 1880–1900), the heavy cast iron scraper is modeled as a stylised, double-sided silhouette of a horse, bridging the gap between functional architectural hardware and English folk art.
The ironwork is masterfully secured into the dense, coarse-grained Yorkshire sandstone using traditional molten lead-plugging. The horse's back acts as the scraper blade, supported by sturdy iron integral scrolled brackets. Decades of exposure to the British elements have given the stone a magnificent, deeply weathered patina with soft tones of natural ochre and charcoal gray, while the ironwork carries a beautiful, historic layer of protective oxidized paint. It is a wonderfully evocative piece of rural country house history that remains as practical today as it was over a century ago.
Object Type: Equestrian Architectural Boot Scraper
Period: Late Victorian (Circa 1880–1900)
Origin: United Kingdom (Northern English Foundry, likely Yorkshire or Lincolnshire)
Materials: Cast iron scraper, original lead-poured fittings, hand-cut native Yorkshire sandstone base.
Design Motif: Double-sided horse / hunter stallion.
"I absolutely love pieces like this because they represent the very best of British country house utility. While you occasionally find these horse scrapers loose, finding one completely undisturbed in its original, heavy block of Yorkshire stone is rare. The scale of the stone gives it immense physical gravity, it weighs a ton and won't budge an inch when used. The graphic silhouette of the horse is wonderfully folk-art in style, catching the light perfectly against the soft, porous stone base. For landscape designers or anyone looking to inject immediate, authentic country-house soul into a porch, a greenhouse entrance, or a formal garden path, this piece is absolutely perfect."
This architectural object is in excellent rustic antique condition. The cast iron equestrian scraper is structurally sound, stable, and completely free from any fractures, thinning, or historic repairs. The iron remains firmly rooted into the sandstone base via its original stable lead fixings. The hand-cut Yorkshire stone block is beautifully solid, showing a glorious, authentically weathered exterior with natural soft edge wear and historic moss/lichen staining that adds immense character.
Mirror plate is original.
Height: 45 cm / 17.7 inch
Width: 45 cm / 17.7 inch
Depth: 22 cm / 8.7 inch
Weight: 35 k.g. / 77.2 lbs
All our collections have been through our workshop and where possible, we always try to maintain the original finish preserving the patina and colour, some items are sympathetically restored and this is done by our own skilled craftsmen using only traditional methods