Medieval Tiles

by Hans Van Lemmen

During the Middle Ages decorative floor tiles were used in abbey churches, royal palaces, parish churches and the homes of wealthy citizens. Many medieval tiles disappeared during nineteenth-century restorations but the designs lived on in the copies made by Victorian tile manufacturers. The British Museum has a collection of these tiles.

Genres: Nonfiction, History

40 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 2004

Reviews

[AmyH · Rating 5 out of 5]

A short but wonderful little read giving you a really solid basis for understanding the history and various types of medieval tiles.

Covers their invention in mainland Europe and how they were brought over to Britian, how the tiles were made and later developed into different styles, as well as how they inspired later Victorian tiles and were restored.

As you'd hope, Van Lemmen doesn't skimp on the colour photographs and we get plenty of gorgeous images of mosaic, incised and impressed tiles, all with locations clearly identified (both in situ and in museums) as well as for examples only in the text.

Only complaint is that it would have been nice to have a more visual timeline to see how styles changed, and maybe a little more about tile dimensions, but still a brilliant book for those interested in tiles, history, mudlarking etc.

[Sebastian Palmer · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice if rather tiny book. Bought this 'cause we thought it might be nice to make our own 'ye olde' tiles, for a greenhouse I'm building. I visited Prior Crauden's Chapel, in the grounds of the Ely Cathedral complex of buildings, having noted that several pics in this book depict the floor of said chapel. Sadly most of the floor was obscured by carpeting and pews. This book is interesting, and despite its smallness, conveys quite a bit of info, along with some nice pics.

[Catherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great little book!