Handmade Clay Tiles in Essex
Handmade Clay Tiles
Our handmade clay tiles are hung from the framework of the roof by fixing them with nails. The handmade clay tiles are usually hung in parallel rows, with each row overlapping the row below it to exclude rainwater and to cover the nails that hold the row below. There are also roof tiles for special positions, particularly where the planes of the several pitches meet. They include ridge, hip and valley tiles. These can either be bedded and pointed in cement mortar or mechanically fixed.
History of handmade clay tiles
Tiled roofs first replaced thatched roofs in ancient Mesopotamia. Fired roof tiles occur from as early as the third millennium BC in the Early Helladic House of the tiles in Lerna, Greece. Debris found at the site contained thousands of terracotta tiles which had fallen from the roof. In the Mycenaean period, roof tiles are documented for Gla and Midea.
The earliest finds of handmade clay tiles in archaic Greece are documented from a very restricted area around Corinth, where fired tiles began to replace thatched roofs at two temples of Apollo and Poseidon between 700 and 650 BC. Spreading rapidly, roof tiles were within fifty years in evidence at a large number of sites around the Eastern Mediterranean, including Mainland Greece, Western Asia Minor, and Southern and Central Italy. Early handmade clay tiles showed an S-shape, with the pan and cover tile forming one piece. They were quite bulky tiles, weighing in exess of 66 lb each. These handmade clay tiles were more expensive and labour intensive to produce than thatch.
Their introduction has been explained by their greatly enhanced fire resistance, which gave much better protection to those sacred temples.
The spread of the handmade clay tile technique should be viewed in connection with the simultaneous rise of monumental architecture in ancient Greece. Only the newly appearing stone walls, which were replacing the earlier mudbrick and wood walls, were strong enough to support the weight of a tiled roof. As a side effect, it has been argued that the new stone and tile construction also brought an end to Chinese roof construction in Greek architecture, as they made the need for an extended roof as rain protection for the mudbrick walls a thing of the past.
Production of Dutch roof tiles started in the 14th century when the leaders of cities required the use of fireproof materials. At the time, most houses were made of wood and had thatch roofing, which would often cause fires to spread quickly. To satisfy demand, many small handmade clay tile makers began to produce roof tiles by hand. Many of these small factories were built near rivers where there was a plentiful source of clay and much cheaper transport.
A little information about Essex
Essex is a very pleasant county to live and work in. Essex is situated in the southeast part of England, a little northeast of London. Essex is one of the home counties and borders with Suffolk and Cambridgeshire to the north, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent across the River Thames to the south, and London to the southwest. The county town of Essex is Chelmsford, which is actually the only city in the county.
Stock or hand made clay roof tiles in Essex from Heritage Clay Tiles Ltd
Heritage Clay Tiles Ltd have been trading for a number of years and supply the finest clay roof tile range on the market. No matter what style of tile you require, their staff will be happy to assist with any enquiries you may have.
A little about Essex
The Coastline of Essex
The deep estuaries on the east coast give Essex, by some measures, the longest coastline of any county in the United Kingdom.
These estuaries mean that the North Sea coast of Essex, is characterised by three major peninsulas, each named after the Hundred based on the peninsula. These are the following:
- Tendring between the Rivers Stour and the Colne.
- Rochford between the Rivers Crouch and the Thames.
- Dengie between the Rivers Blackwater and the Crouch.
A consequence of these features is that the broad estuaries defining them have been a factor in preventing any transport infrastructure linking them to neighbouring areas on the other side of the river estuaries, to the north and south.
So should you be looking for the finest quality clay roof tiles in Essex, give Heritage Clay Tiles Ltd a call. They have a staff of professionals who know the roofing industry inside out and they will be happy to help you get the very best deal going.
Products available from Heritage Clay Tiles Ltd in East Sussex
Clay Roof Tiles in East Sussex
Clayhall Roof Tiles in East Sussex
Conservation Roof Tiles in East Sussex
Edwardian Roof Tiles in East Sussex
Georgian Roof Tiles in East Sussex
Handmade Clay Tiles in East Sussex
Handmade Roof Tiles in East Sussex
High Quality Roof Tiles in East Sussex
Traditional clay tiles in East Sussex
Traditional roof tiles in East Sussex
Products available from Heritage Clay Tiles Ltd in Essex
Conservation Roof Tiles in Essex
High Quality Roof Tiles in Essex
Traditional clay tiles in Essex
Traditional roof tiles in Essex
Products available from Heritage Clay Tiles Ltd in Hampshire
Clayhall Roof Tiles in Hampshire
Conservation Roof Tiles in Hampshire
Edwardian Roof Tiles in Hampshire
Georgian Roof Tiles in Hampshire
Handmade Clay Tiles in Hampshire
Handmade Roof Tiles in Hampshire
High Quality Roof Tiles in Hampshire
Traditional clay tiles in Hampshire
Traditional roof tiles in Hampshire
Products available from Heritage Clay Tiles Ltd in Hertfordshire
Clay Roof Tiles in Hertfordshire
Clayhall Roof Tiles in Hertfordshire
Conservation Roof Tiles in Hertfordshire
Edwardian Roof Tiles in Hertfordshire
Georgian Roof Tiles in Hertfordshire
Handmade Clay Tiles in Hertfordshire
Handmade Roof Tiles in Hertfordshire
High Quality Roof Tiles in Hertfordshire
Traditional clay tiles in Hertfordshire
Traditional roof tiles in Hertfordshire
Products available from Heritage Clay Tiles Ltd in Kent
Conservation Roof Tiles in Kent
High Quality Roof Tiles in Kent
Traditional clay tiles in Kent
Traditional roof tiles in Kent
Products available from Heritage Clay Tiles Ltd in London
Conservation Roof Tiles in London
Edwardian Roof Tiles in London
High Quality Roof Tiles in London
Traditional clay tiles in London
Traditional roof tiles in London
Products available from Heritage Clay Tiles Ltd in Surrey
Conservation Roof Tiles in Surrey
Edwardian Roof Tiles in Surrey
High Quality Roof Tiles in Surrey
Traditional clay tiles in Surrey
Traditional roof tiles in Surrey
Products available from Heritage Clay Tiles Ltd in West Sussex
Clay Roof Tiles in West Sussex
Clayhall Roof Tiles in West Sussex
Conservation Roof Tiles in West Sussex
Edwardian Roof Tiles in West Sussex
Georgian Roof Tiles in West Sussex
Handmade Clay Tiles in West Sussex
Handmade Roof Tiles in West Sussex
High Quality Roof Tiles in West Sussex
Traditional clay tiles in West Sussex
Traditional roof tiles in West Sussex
Further Information
If you would like to know more or are interested in a quote we would be happy to help. Phone us on 01634 471 344, email us at sales@heritagetiles.co.uk and we will be in touch as soon as possible.
