Medieval tiles in Winchester Cathedral

Winchester Cathedral has the largest area of medieval tiles in the UK. These date from the 13th century, when tile making first became an industry in Britain. There was a revival of interest in these ancient designs in the Victorian era, and they inspired church tiles from that time, such as those in St Albans Cathedral

The tiles were sometimes laid in repeated patterns, such as the stars in the picture above right, or in twos or fours in different orientations to form larger patterns. This has been done here with the curved quarter-circles and fleur-de-lis sets. The examples below show a range of designs, mostly used singly, including a picture of the mythical beast, the griffin (at bottom left).

collaged stained glass at Winchester Cathedral. opus sectile angel mosaic Roman mosaics in the City Museum back to list (mosaics in the south of England)