Traditional clay tiles in Suffolk
Traditional clay tiles
Traditional clay tiles for a traditional home
Traditional clay tiles have a very long heritage in the United Kingdom. In fact, you don't have to look very hard to see traditional clay tiles finishing off some of the country's most iconic and historic properties.
Traditional clay tiles are still very popular, and with good reason too. While modern concrete tiles lose their colour over time, clay tiles hold their hue and even mature gracefully with age. They're incredibly durable, typically lasting around sixty years or even longer.
Modern, machine-made clay tiles can be used in both contemporary and traditional builds. But where authenticity is a primary concern, there's no substitute for traditional clay tiles.
What are Heritage Clay Tiles Ltd traditional clay tiles?
Historically, the clay for roof tiles was dug locally and left to weather before being worked. The blocks of clay were mixed with water and moulding sand before being thrown into wooden moulds, wire-cut to size and finished by hand. The tiles were stacked to dry out in the sun before being kiln-fired to secure the colour and texture.
The regional variation in the type of clay and moulding sands available, as well as the firing methods used, led to the many differences in the finished traditional clay tiles we see across the country today.
Differences could even be seen between tiles made by the same craftsman. His skills would add to the rich texture of the traditional clay tiles, providing the kind of individuality that's almost impossible to copy with a purely mechanised tile production process.
Types of traditional clay tiles
Handmade designs are available in wide range of shapes and sizes, including unusual ornamental styles, such as club and bull nose designs. However, the most common options are plain tiles and pantiles.
Plain clay tiles were standardised in the 15th century to a size of 6.5" wide, 10.5" deep and 0.5" thick. Those dimensions remain today, though machine-made versions are produced in equivalent metric sizes. Handmade traditional clay tiles are still crafted in imperial sizes to maintain the right proportions on restoration projects.
Traditionally, clay roof tiles were arched only along the length and had no other decorative features; however, they did have nibs and nail holes included for fitting purposes. Plain tiles are laid in a broken bond, known as double lapping, to achieve a watertight finish.
Pantiles tend to be more popular in certain parts of the country, such as the east coast of England and Scotland. These single-lap tiles are moulded into a flattened 'S' shape, creating a characteristic wave-and-trough look, although they have been used on many properties in the South East of England for many years too. The laying pattern and the fact that pantiles are larger than plain designs means that you only need around seventeen or so tiles per metre squared of roof space.
The clay used in traditional clay tiles from Heritage Clay Tiles Ltd
Generally, the clay used in traditional clay tiles is coarser than that used for machine-made tiles, while the finish is typically 'sand faced' to give a rough texture. The firing process can be used to enhance the colour, for example to create a brindled appearance.
A little information about Suffolk
Lowestoft in Suffolk
Lowestoft is a vibrant coastal town and civil parish in the East Suffolk district of Suffolk. As the most easterly settlement in the United Kingdom, it is 110 miles north-east of London, 38 miles north-east of Ipswich and 22 miles south-east of Norwich, and the main town in its district. The estimated population in the built-up area exceeds 70,000. Its development grew with the fishing industry and as a seaside resort with wide sandy beaches. As fishing declined, oil and gas exploitation in the North Sea in the 1960s took over. While these too have declined, Lowestoft is becoming a regional centre of the renewable energy industry.
History of Lowestoft in Suffolk
Some of the earliest signs of settlement in Britain have been found in this Suffolk resort. Flint tools discovered in the Pakefield cliffs of south Lowestoft in 2005 allow human habitation of the area to be traced back 700,000 years.
Habitation occurred in the Neolithic, Bronze and Iron ages and in the Roman and Saxon times. Several finds have been made at a Saxon cemetery at Bloodmoor Hill in south Lowestoft. The place name derives from a Norse personal name, Hlothver, and toft, an Old Norse word for homestead. It has been spelt historically as Lothnwistoft, Lothuwistoft, Lestoffe, Laistoe, Loystoft and Laystoft.
The 1086 Domesday Book gives Lothuwistoft village some sixteen households in three families, with ten smallholders and three slaves. The manor formed part of the king's holding in the Hundred of Lothingland, worth about four geld in tax income. Roger Bigod was the tenant in chief. The lost Suffolk village of Akethorpe may have lain close by.
In the Middle Ages, this part of Suffolk became an important fishing town that came to challenge its neighbour, Great Yarmouth. The trade, particularly for herring, continued as the town's main identity into the 20th century.
The naval Battle of Lowestoft in June 1665 was the first in the Second Anglo-Dutch War. Held 40 miles off the coast, it was a victory for the English.
Suffolk pottery in Lowestoft
Lowestoft Porcelain Factory, in 1757-1802, was in production for longer than any English soft-paste porcelain manufacturer other than Royal Worcester and Royal Crown Derby, producing domestic pots, teapots and jugs. It stood on the site of an existing pottery or brick kiln, and used later as a brewery and malt kiln. Most of its remaining buildings were demolished in 1955.
A railway to connect Suffolk towns
Sir Samuel Morton Peto's arrival in Lowestoft in the 19th-century brought a change in the Suffolk town's fortunes, including its fishing industry. Peto was given the task of building a line for the Lowestoft Railway and Harbour Company, connecting with Reedham and the city of Norwich. This had a major impact on the town's industrial development, as now its fishing fleets could sell to markets across Suffolk and further inland, and other industries such as engineering gained from increased trade with the continent. Peto's railway enabled Lowestoft to become a flourishing Suffolk seaside holiday resort; much of Peto's seaside resort in south Lowestoft still exists, including the Grade II listed Kirkley Cliff and Wellington Esplanade terraces.
During World War I, Lowestoft was bombarded by the German Navy on 24 April 1916 in conjunction with the Easter Rising. The port was a major naval base during the war, including for armed trawlers such as Ethel & Millie and Nelson used to combat German U-boat actions in the North Sea such as that of 15 August 1917. In World War II the town was heavily bombed by the Luftwaffe for its engineering industry and role as a naval base. It is sometimes placed among the UK's most heavily bombed towns per head of population. The Royal Naval Patrol Service was mobilised in August 1939, mainly by trawlermen and fishermen of the Royal Naval Reserve in Suffolk. Its depot, HMS Europa, was also known locally as the Sparrow's Nest.
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Traditional roof tiles in Suffolk
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.
