Behind Closed Doors Craven Dunnill Jackfield

Britain’s last encaustic tile-maker has been around for 150 years and is increasingly sought-after for its time-honoured skills

- Catherine Coyle

When Edinburgh’s Sistine Chapel, as the church at Mansfield Place in the New Town is known, began to deteriorate, its custodians knew they had to act swiftly: water was pouring down the walls, damaging both the structure and Phoebe Anna Traquair’s precious Arts & Crafts murals. It was a similar story when the historic floors in the lobby of the Palace of Westminster needed repairing; craftspeople who could sensitively – and accurately – preserve them had to be called in.

What do these landmark buildings have in common, not only with each other but with stations on the London Underground, Harrods’ food hall, or the magnificent Leeds Library? The answer is that they all contain handmade tiles by Craven Dunnill Jackfield (CDJ). The Shropshire company has been in the business of making traditional ceramics by hand since 1872 and is now the last remaining encaustic tile-maker in the UK.