Previous Events

Virtual Events replays available where there a link. Click to watch.

TACS Events 2024

2023/2024 Virtual Event replays are available to TACS Members only. Please contact the Events Secretary for the Passwords events@tacsuk.org

16th January, ‘An elegant garden’ – Ottoman Tilework c. 1525-1600 (on Zoom) Speaker, Dr Melanie Gibson,
15th February, Carter and Co of Poole, 1920-1970 (on Zoom) Speaker, Jo Amey,
21st March, Conservation and Restoration of Architectural Ceramics – Identifying the Primary Causes of Degradation (on Zoom) Speaker, Lesley Durbin,
27th April, Arts and Crafts Ceramics, Tiles and the De Morgans, joint event with the Northern Ceramics Society
1st June, Scarborough walking tour inc. St Martin on the Hill Church.
25th June, Tile Sale Private Viewing: The Roger Hensman Collection – From Delft to De Morgan + Stourbridge Walking Tour.
6th July, TACS AGM and local walk, Cambridge, Inc. the Divinity School, the Round Church, the All Saints ‘Painted Church’ and Lloyds Bank.
12th September, TACS Extraordinary General Meeting – On Zoom
3rd October, Hathern Terra Cotta Factory Visit
4th October, Nottingham Self Guided tour & viewing of the late Michael Blood’s art collection & home
5th October, Annual Tile Fair, Nottingham

TACS Events 2023

2023/2024 Virtual Event replays are available to TACS Members only. Please contact the Events Secretary for the Passwords events@tacsuk.org

9th February – Zoom Talk: Persian by Design, the influence of Persia on tiles of the 19th and 20th centuries, by Rob Higgins
1st April – Bristol Walking Tour
12th May – Morecambe Winter Gardens and walking tour Led by Vanessa Toulmin, Chair of Morecambe Winter Gardens Preservation Trust
30th June – London Weekend
- Thorpe Lodge in Holland Park School
- Leighton House, including a talk in the Arab Hall by Islamic ceramics expert and Leighton House trustee Melanie Gibson
1st July TACS AGM at V&A, South Kensington with tour of ceramic gallery led by Assistant Curator, Becky Luffman
16th September – Manchester City Walking Tour
7th October – Annual tile fair, St Jude’s Hall, Nottingham

* 2023 Virtual Event replays are available to TACS Members only. Please contact the Events Secretary for the Passwords events@tacsuk.org

TACS Events 2022

27^th January – Tiles in Valencia with Hans van Lemmen, TACS President, on Zoom*
10^th March – Tiles of London through the ages with Ian Betts, Senior Finds Specialist, Museum of London Archaeology on Zoom*
7^th April – The architectural ceramics gallery at the V&A, with Rebecca Luffman, Assistant Curator, V&A, on Zoom*
14th May – Alton station restoration (Minton and Hollins geometric tiles), and surrounding area, led by Michael Rieveley
June 11^th and 12^{th –}Poole weekender, with Diana Hall, tile maker, and Jo Amey, local tile historian
2nd July – AGM at Jackfield Tile Museum
30^th July – Burmantofts open house with tea (nr Leeds)
1^st October – Annual tile fair, St Jude’s Hall, Nottingham

TACS Events 2021

20th January, Azlab talk about Dutch and Portuguese Tile Production in Religious Scenes on Zoom (Non-TACS Event)
28th January, ‘Desert Island Tiles’ with TACS member and collector Rob Higgins on Zoom
18th February, ‘Terracotta – common causes of degradation’, Lesley Durbin on Zoom
25th February, James Duncan tilework, Dr Lindsay Lennie on Zoom
11th March, 17th Century Dutch Tiles, Hans van Lemmen on Zoom
1st April, ‘Built in Bournemouth, Made at Poole’, Jo Amey on Zoom
27th May, Medieval Tile Pavements, Maureen Mellor on Zoom
3rd July TACS AGM on Zoom
25th September, Medieval Tile Day at Norton Priory, Runcorn
2nd October, TACS annual tile fair, St Jude’s Church Hall, Nottingham
13th October, Carlton Towers, Yorkshire
18^th November, The Dutch Tile Museum (Otterlo) and collecting tiles, Johan Kamermans. The Cuypers Passage and the Zeeburg Skate Park, Francine Stoffels.

TACS Events 2020

22nd February – William de Morgan Day, South West Heritage Centre, Taunton*
4th July – 39^th Annual General Meeting, Virtual AGM

Planned events cancelled due to Covid-19:-

12th-13th November – Terracotta: Past Present and Future, Manchester
1st April- Carlton Towers, Goole
24th April – curator-led tour of The National Liberal Club, London
9th May – Ceramic Bournemouth, guided walk with local tile lady Jo Amey
30th May – Burmantofts collection private viewing, West Yorkshire
4th July – TACS AGM and guided tour – V&A Museum, London
5th September – Medieval Tile Day at Norton Priory, Runcorn
3rd October – TACS annual tile fair, Nottingham

TACS Events 2019

6th April – Touching History in Stoke-on-Trent inc lecture by Hans van Lemmen
11th May – guided tile tour of Winchester cathedral and environs
8th June – tiles of Oxford inc Ashmolean curator-led tour
6th July – TACS AGM in Coventry, The Belgrade Theatre
5th October – TACS Annual Antique & Collectable Tile Fair, St Jude’s Church Hall, Nottingham
30th November – Decorative tiles in Georgian and Victorian domestic architecture, Wisbech and Fenland Museum*

TACS Events for 2018

21st April – The Ludlow Palmers’ Symposium on English Tiles (Non-TACS Organised Event).*
2nd June – London Underground tilework over the decades.
7th July – TACS AGM Liverpool.
6th October – Annual Antique & Collectable Tile Fair, Nottingham.
3rd November – Illustrated talk on ceramic and terracotta pubs in NW England, Manchester.

TACS Events for 2017

8th April – Cardiff Castle
17th June – Private view of “A Private Collection of Burmantofts Faience Pottery”. Wolley & Wallis, Salisbury.
24th June – Oppenheimer Mosaics 20th Century Society joint tour.*
1st & 2nd July – TACS AGM & Hull weekend.
4th October- Darwen Terracotta and Faience Factory tour.
7th October – Antique & Collectable Tile Fair in Nottingham.

TACS Events for 2016

30th April – Spring Trip, Brighton.
4th June – Burmantofts Tiles, Terracotta and Faience in Leeds.
2nd July – AGM – Gladstone Pottery Museum, Stoke-on-Trent.
8th October – Antique & Collectable Tile Fair in Nottingham.

TACS Events for 2015

6th-7th June – Weekend visit to Somerset.
4th July – TACS AGM and visit to Jackfield Tile Museum & ‘John Scott Gallery’.
16th October – H & R Johnson new works, Stoke-on-Trent.
3rd October – Antique & Collectable Tile Fair in Nottingham.

TACS Events for 2014

11^th April – Visit to the Law Society Building, Chancery Lane, London.
5^th July – AGM at the Museum of English Rural Life (MERL) and walking tour of Reading.
20^th September – Walking Tour, Bournemouth; including a visit to the Russell Cotes Museum.
4th October – Antique Tile Fair in Nottingham.

TACS Events for 2013

9th March – private guided tour of the fabulous Grade I listed Victorian Gothic Rochdale Town Hall. and St John the Baptist RC Church with its Eric Newton mosaics, and also a look at some tiled pubs and 20th c murals. View Photos
14th June – Tile Study Day at the V&A, London. An introduction to the new ceramics galleries and then a behind-the-scenes visit to see some of the V&A tile collection.
22nd June – Visit to the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford. An introduction to the collection of tiles at the Ashmolean Museum.
6th July – TACS AGM and visit to Jackfield Tile Museum. The Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust, Telford. The day featured a Members Forum where members discussed their tile collections . To round off the day there was a short presentation on the progress of the Heritage Lottery funded ‘The Potteries Tile Trail’.
21st and 22nd September – Open House London. A self-guided tour of London’s buildings, places and neighbourhoods. Every September is a unique opportunity to get out and explore London’s amazing architecture, with over 700 buildings of all kinds opening their doors to everyone, all for free.
11th October – British Ceramics Biennial. A tour of the Award exhibition at the Potteries Museum and an afternoon visit to the British Ceramics Biennial at the Spode Site.

TACS Events for 2012

16th June – Visit to Holburne Museum, Bath and studio of contemporary ceramic sculptor Bronwyn Williams-Ellis.
7th July – TACS AGM, Littlehampton, including an ‘open house’ to view Chris Blanchett’s collection. Sunday includes the opportunity to view tiles at Findon and Clapham church.
22-23rd September – Open House London 2012.
Saturday 29th September – Antique Tile Fair in Nottingham.
16th November – Visit to the Manchester Onward Buildings to view the extensive recently restored Band of Hope tiling scheme. Some good photographs in this article www.manchesterconfidential.co.uk
17th November – Visit to Manchester Metropolitain University to view the special collections (inc. small tile collection, replicas of Della Robbia, Manchester Society of Architects and Art School Libraries e.g. Owen Jones) followed by a walking tour, to include the Palace Hotel, and other buildings in this quarter of Manchester.

TACS Events for 2011

March 5th – Visit to the William Morris Gallery in Walthamstow
April 9th – Coade stone and Doulton walk along Thames Embankment and V&A visit
June 4th – Visit to a private Burmantofts collection, West Yorkshire
June 11th – Alan Boyson in Manchester.
July 1st – Visit to Shaws of Darwen, Lancashire
July 2nd – TACS AGM in Blackpool.View Photos
October 1st – Antique Tile Fair in Nottingham
November 12th – Exporting Stoke and Beyond: Tiles and architectural ceramics in the world context. TACS conference being held at the Potteries Museum and Art Gallery, Stoke-on-Trent. conference website

TACS Events for 2010

Visit to the Private Tile Collection (March 13th).
Visit to the Potteries Museum & Art Gallery, Stoke on Trent to see the reserve collection of tiles. Followed by a visit to the Wedgwood Museum (April 17th).
Visit to see the Doulton tile panels in West Kirby Residential School and the terracotta, chimney stacks and chimney pots of Port Sunlight. (May 8th) View Photos
Weekend in Hull and Hornsea (June 12th/13th) View Photos
TACS AGM in Birmingham(July 3rd)
Antique Tile Fair in Nottingham(September 25th)

TACS Events for 2009

A visit to selected tile locations in Liverpool including the Walker Art Gallery, the Town Hall, the Municipal Buildings, the Pearl Life Assurance Building, the Lion Tavern and the Cavern Wall of Fame & Lewis’ Department store(March 21st) View Photos
A weekend in Lisbon sampling the many tile delights in Lisbon such as the National Tile Museum, the Gulbenkian Musuem, the Pinheiro Museum, tiled churches and monasteries, tiled railway stations and underground stations, the Viuva Lamego tile factory. (April 25th-26th) View Photos
A Visit to Greenwich including a Coade stone tour of the former Royal Naval Hospital looking at the magnificent Coade pediment in the King William Court, and the many Coade stone statues and decorations in the Chapel of St. Peter and Paul. Also the South Building at the Royal Observatory with Doulton terracotta by W. Neatby and the relocated Greenwich mural by Philippa Threlfall (May 16th). View Photos
Medieval Tile Workshop with Diana Hall: A demonstration workshop looking at the materials and the various processes involved in medieval tile making (June 13th).
TACS AGM London (July 4th) Held at Conway Hall, 25 Red Lion Square, Holborn, London WC1
Antique Tile Fair in Nottingham (September 26th)

TACS Events for 2008

The Sheila Hughes tile collection. TACS Private view and study day Fieldings Auctioneers, Stourbridge, Birmingham.(5th January).*
Visit to Leeds. A tour of the latest developments including the Town Hall foyer, the reopened Tiled Hall at the Central Library, the Frank Brandwyn mosaics in St Aidens Church and the Grand Theatre (15th March).
Visit to private tile collection in Kent (26th April).
Visit to Pownell Hall, Wilmslow, Cheshire (TACS members only, limited to 25 people). An Afternoon visit to the hall which is now School and not usually open to the public. The tiles are mainly 19th and early 20th century and include some fine examples of Arts and Crafts designs. There will be a guided tour of the house by the headmaster.(May 10th)
Visit to the Reserve Collection of the Museum of London. Afternoon visit going behind the scenes at the museum of London to see the tiles not on show. (7th June)
TACS AGM & Walking tour of Chester (5th July)
Annual TACS Antique & Collectable Tile Sale, Tile Sale, St. Judes Church Hall, 403 Woodborough Road, Mapperley, Nottingham, NG3 5HE. (September 27th)

TACS Events in 2007

Tile and terracotta walk in South Kensington, London, a joint TACS and Victorian Society Event (17th March)
Visit to private Burmantofts collection (21st April)
Behind the scenes visit to the tile collection of Norwich Castle Museum (19th May) and Tile & Architectural Ceramics sites in Norwich (20th May).
Visit to private tile collection in London (23rd June)
AGM meeting and backroom tour of Manchester Art Gallery ceramics collection (7th July)
Two-day visit to Delft and Amsterdam (September 8-9)
TACS Annual Antique and Collectable Tiles Fair, Nottingham (29th September 2007)
TACS Postwar Murals Study Day report by Alan Swale (Tuesday 20th November 2007)

TACS Events in 2006

A Weekend in the Lakes (12th-13th May)
TACS Twenty-fifth Anniversary AGM – Gladstone Pottery Museum (1st July)
Looking at Leicester (5th August)
Antique and Collectible Tile Fair, Nottingham (30th September)
TACS 25th Anniversary Conference, Church Ceramics: Decorative tiles, mosaic and terracotta during and after the Gothic Revival. Coalbrookdale. (6th-7th October)
Visit to members tile collection.

TACS Events in 2005

A two-day trip to Ireland (18-19th March)
A Blue Plaques study day in London (23rd April)
A walk around York (14th May)
A weekend in Bristol(10th-11th June)
TACS AGM at The Water Tower Carshalton (2nd July)
Launch of the Tile Gazetteer & opening of the Industrial Tiles Exhibition, Jackfield Tile Museum (24th September)
Tile Gazetteer Press Launch, Leighton House, London (27th September)
Antique Tile Fair, Nottingham (1st October)
Visit to members tile collection.

Previous Event Photos on Flickr

Events from previous years

2004 Walking tour of Manchester
2004 Wales, Shotton Steel Works, Craig Bragdy
2003 Loughborough and Hathernware Terracotta Works
2003 Tiles, Terracotta and Faience in Leeds
2002 Tiles in North Kent
2002 Newcastle upon Tyne
2001 Dorking, Surrey
2001 Minton in North East Staffordshire St Giles Cheadle and other churches featured in the Cumming Report
2000 Stoke-on-Trent
2000 Southampton and district
1999 Mornington Crescent (Camden & Islington)
1999 Birkenhead
1998 County Durham
1998 South East London
1998 West Sussex Churches
1997 Leicester
1997 English Riviera, Devon
1997 Carlisle
1995 Somerset Churches
1994 Liverpool
1993 Newcastle upon Tyne
1993 Whitby
1992 Ornamental Nottingham by K. Brand
1992 Aberystwyth
1992 Architectural Ceramics in Reading
1992 Medieval sites in N. Yorks: Helmsley, Rievaulx & Byland
1991 Windsor & the Albert Memorial Chapel
1991 Norwich & Norfolk
1991 Lichfield
1991 Scarborough
1991 Rochdale
1990 Hereford & Abergavenny
1990 Hull Tiles Tour
1990 Delftware Tiles at Holyrood, Edinburgh
1990 Holland House & City of London
1989 London visit, including All Saints, Margaret St., Prudential Building & Lloyds Bank, Strand
1989 Hathernware & Terracotta and Faience in Loughborough
1989 Birmingham & District
1988 Decorative Tiles & Architectural Ceramics in Yorkshire
1988 Visit to London, including Michelin Building
1987 Tiles in Amsterdam
1987 Tile Museums in Holland
1985 Carter & Co. in Poole & Bournemouth, Pilkington’s Tiles Limited, Poole
1985 Architectural Ceramics in Manchester
1986 Wightwick Manor & Highbury Hall
1986 Architectural Ceramics in Glasgow
1986 Tiles and Terracotta of Wrexham & District
1984 Tiles and Terracotta in Hull
1984 St. Giles’ RC Church, Cheadle
1984 Shaws of Darwen & A Ceramic Tour of Blackpool
1984 Medieval Tiles at Malvern Priory
1981 Tiles & Terracotta in London

* TACS had no responsibility for the organisation of events marked with an asterisk