Handmade Clay Tiles in Hertfordshire
Handmade Clay Tiles
Handmade clay tiles are designed mainly to keep out the rain, and are traditionally made from locally sourced clay materials. Although some modern materials such as concrete and plastic are also used by some companies, we have retained the traditional stance that has been trusted for many years. Some clay tiles have a waterproof glaze.
Shapes of handmade clay tiles
A large number of shapes or profiles of handmade clay tiles have evolved over the years. These include:
- Interlocking roof tiles: These are similar to pantiles with side and top locking to improve protection from water and wind.
- Plain clay tiles: The size of the plain clay tile 10.5"x6.5" or 265mm x 165mm was originally defined by statute in 1477 during the reign of Edward IV. These are double lap tiles made originally from clay but more recently in concrete. They are specified generally for their aesthetic properties. The colour were generated through the control of the kiln atmosphere to generate either red, brown or blue tiles depending on the degree of reduction in the kiln. Dreadnought Tiles still manufacture tiles in this traditional way.
- Roman tiles: These tiles are flat in the middle, with a concave curve at one end and a convex curve at the other, to allow interlocking.
- Monk and Nun tiles: These tiles are also called mission or barrel tiles and they are semi cylindrical tiles laid in alternating columns of convex and concave tiles. Originally they were made by forming clay around a curved surface, often a log or the makers thigh. Today barrel tiles are mass produced from clay, metal, concrete or plastic.
- Antefixes: These tiles are vertical blocks which terminate the covering tiles of a tiled roof.
- Flat tiles: These tiles have to be the simplest type, which are laid in regular overlapping rows. An example of this is the clay made beaver tail tile, these are quite common in Southern Germany. Flat roof tiles are usually made of clay but also may be made of stone, wood, plastic, concrete, or solar cells.
- Imbrex and tegula: These tiles are taken from an ancient Roman pattern of curved and flat tiles that make rain channels on a roof.
- Pantiles: These are the tiles with an S-shaped profile, allowing adjacent tiles to interlock. These result in a ridged pattern resembling a ploughed field. An example of this is the double Roman tile, dating from the late 19th century in England and the United States of America. Many homes in and around Hertfordshire have these type of handmade clay tiles.
A little information about Hertfordshire
Not everyone has a bottomless pit of money and Heritage Clay Tiles Ltd are very proud to be able to cater to everyone and all budgets.
We keep our prices very competitive so that everyone can enjoy premium quality clay roof tiles, at a reasonable price. Many of the properties in and around Hertfordshire were built around the nineteen twenty and thirties and have glorious traditional clay tiled roofs. Our traditional manufacturing techniques ensure that your new roof tiles will never look out of place, or time on your property.
A little Hertfordshire history
Hertfordshire was the area assigned to a fortress constructed at Hertford under the rule of Edward the Elder in 913. Hertford is derived from the Anglo-Saxon heort ford, meaning deer crossing a watercourse.
The name Hertfordshire is first recorded in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle in 1011. Deer feature in many county emblems. Many of the names of the current settlements date back to the Anglo-Saxon period, with many featuring standard placename suffixes attributed to the Anglo-Saxons, such as ford, ton, den, bourn, ley, stead, ing, lett, wood, and worth, and are represented in Hertfordshire by Hertford, Royston, Harpenden, Redbourn, Cuffley, Wheathampstead, Tring, Radlett, Borehamwood, and Rickmansworth.
Hertfordshire has a very rich heritage and the properties around this beautiful county deserve to have the best clay roof tiles to further enhance their beauty.
So if you live or work in or around Hertfordshire, and have a roofing project, give Heritage Clay Tiles Ltd a call to discuss the vast range of traditional stock and hand made clay roof tiles and accessories that we manufacture, stock and deliver.
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Traditional clay tiles in Essex
Traditional roof tiles in Essex
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Products available from Heritage Clay Tiles Ltd in Hertfordshire
Clay Roof Tiles in Hertfordshire
Handmade Roof Tiles in Hertfordshire
High Quality Roof Tiles in Hertfordshire
Traditional clay tiles in Hertfordshire
Traditional roof tiles in Hertfordshire
Clayhall Roof Tiles in Hertfordshire
Victorian Roof Tiles in Hertfordshire
Products available from Heritage Clay Tiles Ltd 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
High Quality Roof Tiles in London
Traditional clay tiles in London
Traditional roof tiles in London
Victorian Roof Tiles in London
Products available from Heritage Clay Tiles Ltd in Surrey
High Quality Roof Tiles in Surrey
Traditional clay tiles in Surrey
Traditional roof tiles in Surrey
Victorian Roof Tiles in Surrey
Further Information
If you would like to know more or are interested in a quote we would be happy to help. Phone us on 01708 853 953, email us at sales@heritagetiles.co.uk and we will be in touch as soon as possible.
