Monday, August 08, 2011

The Jackfield Tile Museum


No, this is not the Bonkers' Home for Well-Behaved Orphans: it is the Jackfield Tile Museum in the Ironbridge Gorge, where I have been today.

What you see here is a just a small part of a huge complex that was derelict until recently but has now been restored as a museum. Better still, part of the site is now home to a commercial tile maker again.

It is certainly worth a visit, maybe even above some of the better known attractions around Ironbridge. Many of the tiles on display are beautiful and there is also some fascinating social history. Tiling, which was durable and could be repeatedly and thoroughly washed down, was important to the rising standards of health and hygiene in the 19th and 20th centuries.

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