It was suggested to me that I might write another post on medieval tiles, since I have so many photographs of them, so here it is. I’ve limited myself to tiles from Byland and Rievaulx Abbeys in Yorkshire, which I visited in April.

Tiles at Rievaulx Abbey
When I visited the abbeys, I expected that any tiles I saw would be behind glass, as these are, but that’s not the case. Fortunately, there are still tiles where they were originally laid in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries. Some of them are in the forms of mosaics, as you can see below, but there are also a few, very damaged, inlaid tiles.
The tiles above, under glass, are inlaid. They become very fragile when their glaze wears off, which is why there aren’t many of them in what is now the open air.

Tiles in the day room at Rievaulx Abbey
These tiles look rather good for having been exposed to the elements for several hundred years. They’re in the monks’ day room at Rievaulx. It had two fireplaces and the monks worked there during the winter rather than in the cloisters, which would have offered little protection against wind, rain and snow.
The colours have faded, but they still give a good idea of what the floor would have looked like when the monks were sitting in the room copying books.

Tiles in the nave of Rievaulx Abbey
The remaining tiles are in the nave of the abbey church. They’re relatively sheltered by bits of walls and pillars.

Tiles in the nave of Rievaulx Abbey

Tiles in the nave of Rievaulx Abbey
It’s a wonder to me that so many tiles have survived, but Rievaulx has almost nothing compared to Byland Abbey, which is about 15 minutes away by car.
Byland’s tiles are also mostly used to form mosaics.

Tiles, Byland Abbey
These tiles on the risers of these steps are still colourful, since no one has trodden on them. Their designs are much clearer than those on surfaces that have been walked on for hundreds of years.

Tiles, Byland Abbey
This pretty pattern of interlocking circles must have been very colourful when it was first laid.

Tiles, Byland Castle
As you can see, the tiles are exposed both to the elements and to the feet of visitors. Sadly, many of the tiles have suffered as a result.

Tiles, Byland Abbey
These tiles have almost completely lost their patterns and the tiles themselves are disintegrating. It’s a shame, because the patterns were obviously fairly complex.
Sources:
Rievaulx Abbey by Peter Fergusson, Glyn Coppack, Stuart Harrison and Michael Carter
Medieval Tiles by Hans Van Lemmen
April Munday is the author of the Soldiers of Fortune and Regency Spies series of novels, as well as standalone novels set in the fourteenth century.
Available now:
It is a shame that they haven’t cordoned them off from the public. Over the years I’ve taken so many photos of tiles! I suppose it could be due to the fact we don’t have many decorative tiles on buildings or paths here in NZ
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To be honest, I’m not sure that Byland gets many visitors. There’s a tiny car park and it’s quite out of the way.
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I hadn’t heard of Byland at all, although I’ve been at Rievaulx. I hope to be up that way next summer. We’ll look for it. Thanks.
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If no one has heard of it, that would explain why there weren’t many people there when I was there. It is close to Rievaulx and nowhere near as impressive. I went only because it was mentioned in a book about tiles.
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A very interesting post, April.
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Thank you.
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Cool that so many are still in situ.
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It is. The monasteries must have been amazing in the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries.
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I am surprised and delighted to know so many are still in place. Do you think they should be cordoned off and/or protected from the elements April? I like the fact that they are where they were intended to be but they weren’t meant to be outside, and it is a shame to see them suffering the effects.
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I’m wondering the same thing.
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The mosaic tiles stand up to the elements much better than the inlaid ones. The tiles at Rievaulx are protected by walls and you’d have to be very thin to be able to walk on them. Byland has very few visitors. It’s off the beaten track and not on the way to anywhere. I think there were about five people there when I was there, whereas there were about fifty at Rievaulx. I’m not a hundred per cent certain, but I think some of the tiles from Byland are in the British Museum.
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Thank you for that, it explains things. Good post as always.
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Thank you 🙂
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So many lovely, interesting and important remains to protect! England seems to have a very good antiquities program(me) in place, but monies must be disbursed with care. Every day it seems more goodies are discovered. Which receive priority? Meantime museums, structures and artifacts require upkeep (including protection from ravaging tourists and avaricious developers). Surely a great deal of hand-wringing is done by those fearful for their area’s treasures!
Fabric funds must be collected & meted out. No wonder we see the little collection boxes (not to mention memberships, stewardship plans, special taxes on receipts, etc.) I suppose most goes into a general kitty, otherwise places like The Tower of London would have overflowing coffers while lesser-knowns, like Byland, would crumble away quickly for lack of care.
I would hate to be on the board of regents entrusted to make these decisions. Everything is so wonderful! I’m sure they lose sleep sometimes over many worthy edifices & etc.
And I’m willing to wager a great many English folk put plenty of volunteer hours into local projects. It has to be for pure love and pride of their green and watered land. Bless them all!
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There are many organisations dedicated to protecting buildings and objects from the past, although there are heated discussions about how it should be done. Many of them have charitable status, so they can obtain some tax advantages.
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I love seeing the well-preserved tiles on the risers. Who knew there was so much to learn about tiles!?
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There’s a lot more. I hope to have some new tile photographs later this month.
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I’m amazed they allow people to still walk on these beautiful pieces of history. Just imagining who would have walked on them throughout history. I still haven’t visited Byland and Rievaulx Abbeys, definitely need to.
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You should. Both are wonderful.
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