FOCUS ON….. Clay Tiles
Clay tiles were originally hand made – a simple rectangular plain tile with either nail holes or ‘nibs’ for fixing. (In fact, some of the earlier examples are often referred to as ‘thumbprints’ as you can clearly see how these nibs were fashioned from the clay) Local clay would be used and many brickworks also produced roofing tiles for the local area – as in the ‘Battledown’ tiles from Cheltenham.
From the 1880’s, press machines were more commonly used. The difference between handmade tiles and machine made examples is distinguishable by their appearance – the handmade tiles will have a slight variation in size and the machine made tiles will be straight edged.
Clay tiles are still a common choice for roof coverings today as they offer a cost effective option with a long lifespan and easy maintenance. The beauty of buying reclaimed tiles is that they have already withstood the test of time (and the British weather) and still retained their quality and character. They remain a popular material for use on various different roofscapes as the small format gives some flexibility.
We carry a varied stock of reclaimed tiles at any one time including handmade, machine made and concrete variations. We can offer small quantities (or single tiles!) to a sample if you are looking to match existing or also stock some large batches, complete with suitable fittings, for use on larger projects.
Feel free to conatct us with any enquiries or call in to take a look at our current stocks of reclaimed clay tiles.