Spicer tiles

Andrew Spicer left school and started his career in the roofing industry at the tender age of 15. Shortly after, he was disciplined by his boss for throwing old pegs in the skip, without realising their true value. From this point on Andrew wondered why something so old and rustic could be so valuable, and how hard could it be to make…

Andrew decided to test the theory of the fired clay. He made a tile out of wet clay and put it into a garden fire to make his finished product. This tile exploded, heating up too quickly, sealing the outside and not allowing the moisture to escape. He there, realised he needed to dry the tile first. After destroying his Mothers microwave he realised the tile needed to be dried much slower, so he utilised his Fathers greenhouse – a warm, damp environment, perfect for drying clay. After many attempts he had all but given up when one day he was cleaning out his mothers Parkray stove when the griddle wouldn’t move, after removing the ash he found a fired tile. It wasn’t fully fired but the tile stayed whole, with no cracks, and the orange colour had started to come through. From here Andrew and Jane bought a small kiln and produced enough tiles to showcase to local tradesmen.

Business took off and Spicer Tiles employed 3 people to keep up with demand, supplying the roofing community with traditional brand new Kent peg tiles and fittings, produced to look old.

Spicer Tiles outgrew the premises in Wittersham and needed to expand to keep up with demand. We found an old chicken farm in Bethersden with ample yard space and decided to make the move, installing the gas kiln from Wittersham but also installing two second hand electric kilns to increase our production.

After being around the family business his whole life, it was time for Spicer Tiles to officially employ Adam Spicer, son of Andrew and Jane. Adam was a tile moulder for 2 years then moved on to other areas of production until eventually moving to a sales role within the company.

After much experimentation it was concluded that a sawdust firing kiln could not give a consistent firing without considerable investment in space and machinery to ensure the continuous quality of sawdust. But with the ever-burning enthusiasm to produce more tiles. We decided it was time to grow again.

Heavy investment meant we could invest in state of the art clay preparation and a brand new electric kiln, reducing waste and improving product quality.

We have always been a proud British based firm and a supporter of British business. But then came the energy crisis and we were left with three options: Raise our prices, go out of business, or source our tiles from countries less effected. After touring the world Adam found a Turkish roof tile manufacturer who are also a family business. After several months intensive training in the Spicer traditional method, the product is the same high quality, entirely made by the hands of skilled artisans, and our prices as competitive as ever. Even we have to admit, it’s worked out rather well.