TILE, IN ArchitilCture, is a thin plate of baked clay used to cover roofs. In England there are but two kinds of tiles in ordinary use, plain tiles and pan- tiles. The former of these, whicli are by far the com- monest, are perfectly flat; the latter are curved, so that when laid upon a roof each tile overlaps the edge of the next to it and protects the joint from the wet.
Pan-tiles.
The Romans used flat tiles turned up at the edges, with a row of invei;ted, semi-cylindrical ones over the joint to keep out the wet. In the Middle Ages tiles were ex- tensively employed in England for covering buildings, though they .seem always to have been considered an inferior material to lead. It does not appear that any but flat, plain tiles, with such others as were requisite for the ridges, hips, and valleys, were used. The ridge- tiles, or crest, ((.irmerly also called roof-tiles, were some- times made ornamentaU It is not iniusual to find the backs of fireplaces formed of tiles, and in such situa- tions they are sonie- /-y ^-> y——y— ifx- times laid in her-
/ ' "^ / -'——=^^Sk ring-bone courses, as in the great hall, Kenilworth: most of the fireplaces in
a. Roof-tiles. 6. C.est-tiles. c. Pan- ^"'^'^'^ C^*^^'''' S"«- tiles. sex, are constructed
TILE
406
TILE
Koiiiau Tiles, VV'heulley, Oxfoi'dshiie.
ill til is manner, and the oven by the side of the larger li replace in the hall is also built of tiles.
Glazed decorative tiles were anciently much used for paving sacred edifices. They are sometimes call- ed Norman tiles, possibly from the supposition that they were originally made in Normandy; and, consid- ering the age and variety of specimens that exist in Northern I'Vancc, this idea may not be wholly errone- ous. It is doubtful, however, whether any tiles have been discovered in England that present the features of the Norman style of architectural decoration, the most ancient being apparently of the loth century. 'I'lie name of encaustic has also been given to these liles, and it would not be inappropriate were it not ap- plied already to denote an aniiiiue process uf art of a liorfi'ctly different nature; whereas a method wholly ilistinct, and peculiar to the glazed tiles of the Middle Ages, was commonly adopted in Northern Europe. The jirocess of manufacture which, as it is supposed, was most commonly emphn-ed may be thus described: The I hill sipiares of well-compacted clay having been fash- ioned, anil probably dried in the sun to the requisite de- gree, their ordinary dimension being from four to six inches, with a thickness of one inch, a stamp which bore a design in relief was impressed upon them, so as 10 leave the ornamental pattern in cavetto. Into the iioUows thus left on the face of the tile clay of another color, most commonly white, or pipe-clay, was then in- 1 lid or impressed. Nothing remained except to give a richer effect, and, at the same time, insure the perma- nence of the work hv coverini!- the whole in the furnace
Westleigh, Devon.
with a thin surfiice of metallic glaze, which, being of a slightly yellow color, tinged the white clay beneath it, and imparted to the red a more full and rich tone of color. In the success of this simple operation' much depended ujmmi this, that the quality of the two kinds of clay that were used should be as nearly similar as possible, or else, if the white was liable to shrink in the furnace more than the red, the whole v/ork would be full of cracks; in the other case, the design would bulge and be thrown upward — imperfections, of which exam- ples are not wanting. To facilitate the equal drying of the tile, deep scorings or hollows were sometimes made on the reverse, and by this means, when laid in cement, the pavement was more firmly held together. < )ccasionally. either from the deficiency of white clay of good quality, or perhaps for the sake of variety, glazed liles occur which have the ilcsign left hollow," and not filled in, according to the usual process, with clay of a different color. A careful examination, however, of the disposition of the ornament will frequently show that the original intention was to fill these cavities, as in other specimens; but instances also present themselves where the ornamental design evidently was intended to remain in relief, the field, and not the pattern, being found in curctto. It must be observed that instances are very frequent where, the protecting glaze having
been worn away, the white clay, which is of a less compact quality than the red, has fallen out and left the design hollow, so that an impression or rub- bing may readily be taken. It appears probable that the origin of the fabrication (;f decorative pave- ments by the process which has been described is to be sought ill the mediivval imitations of the Ro- man mosaic-work by moans of colored substances inlaid upon stone or marble. Of this kind of mar- quetry in stone, few examples have escaped the injuries of time; specimens may be seen on the eastern siile of the altar-screen in Canterbury Cathedral, and at the ab- bey church of St. Denis and the catlictlral of St. Omer.
Canterbury Cathedral.
Among the earliest specimens of glazed tiles may be mentioned the pavement discovered in the ruined pri- ory church at Castle Acre, Norfolk, a portion of which is in the British Museum. These tiles are ornamented with scutcheons of arms, and on some appears the name "Thomas:" they are coarsely executed, the cavities are left, and not filled in with any clay of different color.