Art Nouveau Tiles (Shire Library)

At the turn of the last century, Art Noveau, characterised by its natural, swirling lines and exuberant use of colour, held sway as the dominate style in architecture and design. The style defined the Edwardian period, with its departure from more formal Victorian styles. The leading tile manufacturers of the day seized on the popularity of the new style and introduced extensive ranges of Art Noveau tiles, many of them mass-produced in Stoke-on-Trent, the centre of the British pottery industry. The author charts the impact of this sensous style on the tile industry in Britain showing how tiles were made and decorated, and describing the innovations introduced by creative designers such as Lewis Day and William Neatby. With photographs of the tiles, individually and in situ in public buildings and homes, the author examines the diverse range of floral, animal and human subject matter found on Art Nouveau tiles that now make them so appealing to collectors and design historians.