A Guide to British Tile and Architectural Ceramics Locations
This is the definitive gazetteer of in-situ: tile, mosaic and architectural ceramics sites in the UK. Arranged by county, the text is written in narrative form with all the highlights of each area described, dated and attributed wherever possible. This should be in every tile enthusiast’s library and why not buy a copy to carry in the car when you are away from home – never miss a tile site again!
This nearly 300,000 word volume has descriptions of around 2,500 sites selected from the 6,000 held in the TACS Locations List, and over 350 illustrations. There is also a substantial introduction and biographical directory, along with a full bibliography and glossary.
Dr Lynn F Pearson, Tiles and Architectural Ceramics Society/Richard Dennis Pubns, Sept 2005, 512pp, 363 b & w illustrations + 32 plates with 68 colour illustrations, A5 paperback. ISBN 0 903685 97 3. £25.00 Buy
The work is fully referenced and covers England, Scotland, Wales and the Isle of Man. Each site is located firstly by its ‘county’and then by its city, town or village. For England, the ‘county’ is a geographical entity resembling the pre-1974 counties, but defined to include combinations of whole unitary authorities. For Scottish and Welsh sites, the ‘county’ is the unitary authority, while London is listed by borough. The Isle of Man is treated separately, but is found within the English counties list for convenience.
The Tile Gazetteer was runner-up for the 2005 Reference Book of the Year award.
History
The Tiles and Architectural Ceramics Society (TACS) has been working for many years on a major project, publication of the Tile Gazetteer of British Tile and Architectural Ceramics Locations. Thanks to major funding secured from the School of Art & Design at the University of Wolverhampton, as well as substantial support from the Pilgrim Trust, the Manifold Trust, the Scouloudi Foundation (in association with the Institute for Historical Research), the Cumming Ceramic Research Foundation and generous donations from many TACS members, the Tile Gazetteer was published in 2005 by Richard Dennis Publications.
The Gazetteer project aimed to locate, survey and analyse the principal British tile and architectural ceramic sites of all periods. This task had never been attempted before, and resulted in the publication of a comprehensive guide and gazetteer containing much significant new information of great value to current practitioners in the conservation, production and study of ceramics. The project has made a substantial and original contribution to British ceramics history.
The Gazetteer comprises a geographical listing and description of the sites, with precise locations laid out by county for ease of use, but including unitary authorities for reference purposes. Site descriptions cover the architect, construction date, client, original and current use of the building or structure as well as full ceramic details including manufacturer, artist, designer and installation date. It also includes discussion of the artistic and technical merits of the sites, their historical and social significance, and their geographical distribution. There is definitive information on the manufacturers, artists, designers and architects responsible for creating the sites. The Gazetteer will be an essential resource for all those concerned with ceramics research, listed buildings and allied fields including architectural and construction history.
