Floor Tiles at Wells Cathedral

Herbert Minton began experimenting making encaustic tiles in 1828 in addition to the established Mintons pottery and china business, early results were most unpredictable 100 satisfactory tiles from a kiln load of 700 was considered a success. Work continued refining the processes and in 1835 the company was confident enough to produce their first catalogue of 62 designs. In 1836 they tendered for the supply of tiles for special schemes and full scale production began around 1842