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Tile
Godwin, William, born 1813 - died 1883 - Enlarge image
Tile
- Place of origin:
Herefordshire, England (made)
- Date:
1863-1870 (made)
- Artist/Maker:
Godwin, William, born 1813 - died 1883 (maker)
- Materials and Techniques:
Red earthenware, moulded and inlaid with buff slip
- Museum number:
C.206-1986
- Gallery location:
British Galleries, room 122e, case 5
Object Type
Inlaid tiles (with decoration inlaid into their surface using contrasting coloured clays) were produced in large quantities from the mid-19th century. The principal market for the tiles was for churches, both new and restored. The majority were used on floors, but this was not always the case.
Manufacturers
The firm of William Godwin began production of encaustic tiles at Lugwardine near Hereford in 1852. Despite its mark, this tile was probably made at nearby Withington, where a second factory was established by the firm in 1863. Many of the tiles produced by the firm were based on medieval prototypes. Due to their authentic appearance, Godwin tiles were reputed to be favoured above those of other manufacturers by the architects George Gilbert Scott (1811-1878) and G.E Street (1824-1881) in their church restorations.
Places
This tile was part of a group removed from the Chapter House of Salisbury Cathedral in the late 1960s or early 1970s. They almost certainly date from Gilbert Scott's restoration of the cathedral, begun in 1863. The design is taken from medieval tiles used at Salisbury and elsewhere.
