So just what is a tile? Put simply, a tile is a
\nshaped segment of clay which has been fired – or baked – which can then be
\nused to pave floors or decorate walls. The most important early users of
\ntiles in Britain were the medieval abbeys, whose pavements used either
\ncoloured geometric shaped tiles in mosaic patterns or…..<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
![\"Reddy-brown](\"\/beginguide\/images\/beging3.gif\")
<\/p>\n<\/td>\n
…..square tiles with designs of a contrasting
\ncolour indented into the surface. They were often reddy-brown with the
\ndesign in buff, and the Chapter House at Westminster Abbey has one of the
\nmost famous of these floors, its designs including images of kings.<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
![\"Tin](\"\/beginguide\/images\/wpe72201.gif\")
<\/a><\/p>\n<\/td>\nProduction of these decorated tiles became a
\nmajor industry which survived until the middle of the 16th century, when
\ncolourful tin-glazed tiles began to be imported from Holland. They became
\nvery popular during the 17th and 18th centuries, and were known as
\ndelftware after one of the most important manufacturing centres.<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
![\"Delft](\"\/beginguide\/images\/wpe27539.gif\")
<\/a><\/p>\n<\/td>\nEventually delftware tiles were produced in
\nEngland, notably in Liverpool, in addition to being imported, and were used widely for decoration of walls and fireplaces,
\nespecially during the 18th century but also well into the 19th.<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
![\"Gothic](\"\/beginguide\/images\/wpe47626.gif\")
<\/a><\/p>\n<\/td>\nThe 19th century gothic revival encouraged an
\ninterest in all things medieval, including inlaid tiles. Herbert Minton of
\nStoke-on-Trent was the most important of the early Victorian tile
\nmanufacturers; he perfected the production process and took many of his
\nearly designs\u00a0 from medieval tiles, including some at Westminster
\nAbbey.Minton often worked with the Gothic Revival
\narchitect A. W. N. Pugin, who designed tiles for Minton’s and used the
\nproducts in houses and churches which he designed. Minton tiles were used
\nfor many significant commissions, notably the Palace of Westminster.<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
![\"Tile](\"\/beginguide\/images\/wpe42183.gif\")
<\/a><\/p>\n<\/td>\nThe crucial invention which allowed the
\nmass-production of tiles was made in 1840, when Richard Prosser discovered
\nthat it was possible to compact dust clay using a press, and thence to
\nmake tiles, rather than using damp plastic clay. The tiles were less
\nmoist, giving a faster drying time, and warped less during firing.<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
![\"Tiled](\"\/beginguide\/images\/wpe85360.gif\")
<\/a><\/p>\n<\/td>\nThe great Victorian tile boom began around 1850
\nand continued until the end of the century. Many tilemaking firms were
\ninvolved, and tiles appeared in almost all types of building and even on
\nfurniture, for instance wash-stands and dressing tables.<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
![\"Tile](\"\/beginguide\/images\/wpe37586.gif\")
<\/a><\/p>\n<\/td>\nMinton’s of Stoke evolved into several other
\nfirms including Minton Hollins, while another major concern, Maw & Co,
\nmoved to Jackfield, Shropshire in 1883; the Craven Dunnill works were
\nalready there. Doulton’s worked from Lambeth in London, and Burmantofts
\nwas the trademark of a Leeds firm.<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
![\"Glazed](\"\/beginguide\/images\/wpe74748.gif\")
<\/a><\/p>\n<\/td>\nThese firms made not only tiles but glazed
\nfaience, a type of glazed ceramic slab which could be manufactured in
\nshapes to suit varied buildings; it was often used on pubs and – in this
\ncase – shopping arcades. Burmantofts were particular specialists in this
\nware.<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
![\"Terracotta](\"\/beginguide\/images\/wpe16682.gif\")
<\/a><\/p>\n<\/td>\nAnd then there was terracotta, also made in
\nlarge blocks for exterior use but unglazed, and coming in colours ranging
\nfrom buff through salmon-pink to deep reddy-brown. Specialist terracotta
\nmakers included two Ruabon firms, Dennis and Edwards, as well as Hathern
\nfrom Loughborough, although many of the larger tile manufacturers also
\nproduced both glazed faience and terracotta.<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
![\"Tiles\"](\"\/beginguide\/images\/wpe48813.gif\")
<\/a><\/p>\n<\/td>\nThere was a vast range of techniques available
\nfor decorating tiles, from hand-painting (with its many variations)
\nthrough printing, which included transfer printing and even photographic
\nmethods as well as silk-screen, to relief decoration (including
\ntube-lining) and more besides. The exact technique used can be difficult to
\nidentify.<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
![\"Tile](\"\/beginguide\/images\/wpe44011.gif\")
<\/a><\/p>\n<\/td>\nTiles were used both inside buildings and
\noutside, as a hard- wearing surface and as a decorative wall or floor
\ncovering. Buildings ranging from pubs to offices to hospitals to shops to
\ntheatres and practically anything else were decorated with tiles around
\nthe turn of the century. Tilemaking was an important industry, with many
\nmanufacturers having significant overseas trade.<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
![\"Tiled](\"\/beginguide\/images\/wpe77249.gif\")
<\/a><\/p>\n<\/td>\nAnd tiles (or, indeed terracotta and glazed
\nfaience) could easily be personalised, given the logo of a company or the
\ninitials of a person; this made them most attractive to, for instance,
\nbrewers, who could brand all their own pubs using distinctive ceramic
\nfacades rather than simple signs. Shop chains, for instance butchers, fish
\nshops, dairies and florists also used ceramic logos.<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
![\"Art](\"\/beginguide\/images\/wpe48946.gif\")
<\/a><\/p>\n<\/td>\nFrom about 1895 to 1910, Art Nouveau tiles
\nbecame popular, with most of the larger manufacturers making tiles or
\npanels in the style. In a radical departure, designer W. J. Neatby of
\nDoulton’s produced several Art Nouveau ceramic facades and interiors in
\nstriking colours, including Harrod’s and Bristol’s Everard Building.<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
![\"Tiled](\"\/beginguide\/images\/wpe29547.gif\")
<\/a><\/p>\n<\/td>\nFollowing the First World War, plain tiling
\nbecame more fashionable than pictorial tiles, but some firms, such as
\nCarter’s of Poole, continued to specialise in decorative designs. Duncan’s
\nof Glasgow, established in 1865,\u00a0 produced a huge number of
\ntube-lined panels for local shops, almost all of which have now
\ndisappeared, although this 1920s Buttercup Dairy panel survives.<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
![\"Fish](\"\/beginguide\/images\/wpe01190.gif\")
<\/a><\/p>\n<\/td>\nA few smaller firms also managed to prosper
\nbetween the wars, including Dunsmore of London, who produced unusual
\nstencilled and sprayed tiles showing birds and fish. This example was used
\nto enliven the exterior of a housing development in Camden.<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
![\"Tiled](\"\/beginguide\/images\/wpe00878.gif\")
<\/a><\/p>\n<\/td>\nAfter the Second World War, tilemaking resumed
\nonly slowly, and manufacturers attempted to cut costs by mechanising
\nproduction. In the 1950s the design emphasis was on geometric patterns,
\nbut some figurative designs were still made. During the 1950s-1970s tiles
\nwere popular as a facing material for public buildings.<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
![\"1980's](\"\/beginguide\/images\/wpe29469.gif\")
<\/a><\/p>\n<\/td>\nBy the 1980s tiles were undergoing a revival as
\nsmall-scale craft tilemakers set up thriving businesses. Community
\nprojects, where local people designed and made tiles, became popular.
\nReviving an old tradition, tiles were increasingly used to decorate
\nhospitals.<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
![\"Millennium](\"\/beginguide\/images\/wpe11317.gif\")
<\/a><\/p>\n<\/td>\nAt the turn of the millennium, tiles –
\ncolourful, individual, stylish and fashionable – have become almost as
\npopular as they were a century ago. They are again being used to decorate
\nhomes and proclaim company identities, with a vast range of designs
\navailable in many differing techniques. These are tiles for a new century,
\nbut still with the old virtues which originally made them popular.<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
New to tiles?<\/p>\n
Here’s the place to start, with a short and simple
\nguide which will soon have you out and about on the tiles!<\/p>\n
So just what is a tile?<\/p>\n …<\/span><\/p>\n
\n![\"Geometric](\"\/beginguide\/images\/wpe44245.gif\")
<\/a><\/p>\n