Broken tiles that we found in the garden

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Permalink Reply by Hugh on February 17, 2018 at 13:14

Nice little trove. The patterned ones look almost certainly like the sort of late Victorian tiles you'd find round a fireplace. The blue and brown ones are probably more utilitarian tiles from the same period, though I'm less certain about those.

I imagine that all were damaged or left over during building.

I've gradually gathered quite a collection of bits of tile, glass and pottery from our garden. I've also gathered quite a bit of clinker. At first this latter find made me wonder if the Harringay House blacksmith was anywhere near the site of my house, though the overlay I did of an old estate map over a new Google one made me think almost certainly not as it would have been too near to the house. So perhaps it was again from building.

A neighbour on Hewitt made a wonderful mosaic picture out of her Thames mudlarking finds. So, if you get enough.......!

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Permalink Reply by Michelle M on February 17, 2018 at 13:24

Thanks Hugh, I was hoping that they might be Victorian! Someone suggested making a hot plate out of them so I will look into that! 

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Permalink Reply by Hugh on February 17, 2018 at 13:33

The honeysuckle tile with the Grecian pattern edging looks very much like our fireplace tiles:

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Permalink Reply by Michelle M on February 17, 2018 at 14:53

Ah yes very similar to a bit I found, it's fascinating! It makes me want to excavate the whole garden!

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Permalink Reply by JoeW on February 17, 2018 at 18:03

When we had our kitchen modernised a few years ago the builders found the old kitchen floortiles were laid on a bed of clinker. They replaced it before laying our new tiles.

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Permalink Reply by Hugh on February 17, 2018 at 18:35

That’s interesting. Maybe it was a common building material. 

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Permalink Reply by Maddy on February 17, 2018 at 15:38

It reminds me of the beach at Minori on the Amalfi coast which I visited a few years ago - there used to be a ceramic tile-making factory in the town and the beach is full of little pieces of 'sea-tile', colourful glazed fragments which have worn into rounded edges like pebbles.

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Permalink Reply by Michelle M on February 17, 2018 at 15:53

That sounds lovely! 

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Permalink Reply by Michael Anderson on February 17, 2018 at 17:09

The blue looks just like the encaustic quarry tiles we have in the hall.  I think some front paths had them too.

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Permalink Reply by Michelle M on February 17, 2018 at 17:27

I think it's a beautiful blue!

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