Medieval Decorative Tile Unearthed in Southeastern England

News March 31, 2021

(Courtesy of Graham Keevill)
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England Floor Tile
(Courtesy of Graham Keevill)

MAIDSTONE, ENGLAND—Kent Online reports that a well-preserved decorative floor tile dated to the thirteenth century has been found at St. Andrews, a building that once served as a gatehouse chapel to Boxley Abbey, a twelfth-century Cistercian monastery. St. Andrews is currently being investigated by a team led by archaeologist Graham Keevill and conserved by the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings. Boxley Abbey was known for the production of floor and roof tiles that were used in the construction of Canterbury Cathedral and Rochester Cathedral. The floor tile kiln was discovered to the north of St. Andrews in the 1920s. To read about England's most famous church, go to "Westminster Abbey's Hidden History."

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