British Handmade Tiles
We Make & Sell
Handmade Roof & Floor Tiles
Handmade clay tiles have been a reliable roofing material for centuries proving themselves time and time again. There is no shortage of clay roofs throughout the UK still providing good service – just look at Shakespeare’s Birthplace in Stratford upon Avon, or Michelham Priory in East Sussex. Clay tiles blend easily and naturally with their surroundings and will last a lifetime. On versatility and pure aesthetics, few rivals come even close.
WE OFFER AN IMPECCABLE HANDMADE CLAY TILES SERVICE WHICH INCLUDES:
- No obligation quotes
- Free handmade clay tiles samples
- Free estimated quantities (roof plans required)
- Site visits to discuss your project
- Tile matching service – Match old tiles, with new.
- Crane / Moffett off-load facilities on deliveries
- Next day deliveries on stock items
- Recommend approved roofing contractors
- 30 year guarantee
- Factory tour to see our production
Testimonial To The Tiles
Our History
- 1979
The Beginning
The Beginning
January 1, 1979Andrew 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…
- 1987
The Discovery
The Discovery
January 1, 1987After years of wondering how they were made, and no access to the internet Andrew was on a forest walk with a friend when he noticed a spot where a fire once was. The earth around the fire was brown in colour, the closer to the centre of the fire, the more orange the earth was. Andrew realised, this was the fired clay.
- 1988
Fired Clay
Fired Clay
January 1, 1988
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.
- 1989
Spicer Tiles Begins
Spicer Tiles Begins
January 1, 1989
Andrew and Jane decided there could be a viable business in producing roof tiles, and with the help of Jane’s parents, Ray and Cynthia, they created Spicer Tiles and moved into our first business premises in Wittersham, located in rural Kent. We sourced a gas kiln from Wales and started production on a larger scale using clay from Stoke-on-Trent.
- 1990
Expand To Meet Demand
Expand To Meet Demand
January 1, 1990
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.
- 1991
The Storm
The Storm
January 1, 1991After a moderate storm, part of the roof on the production facility collapsed, but due to high demand of tiles caused by the storm we had no staff available to fix it for weeks.
- 1994
Moving To A Chicken Farm
Moving To A Chicken Farm
January 1, 1994
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.
- 1999
New Kiln
New Kiln
January 1, 1999A new gas kiln was installed to replace the old kiln, this time slightly bigger to once again cater for increased demand. By this point, we had 8 employees and was running at full capacity, producing 30,000 tiles per month.
- 2011
Adam Joins
Adam Joins
January 1, 2011After 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.
- 2012
Experimenting With Sawdust
Experimenting With Sawdust
January 1, 2012
We decided it was time to experiment with something new. We had an unlimited supply of sawdust from local saw mills, and an idea to use it as fuel to fire a kiln. We developed a kiln with a high power fan and a combustion chamber to ignite the sawdust. The heat was transferred to the firing chamber and the tiles were fired to over 1000°c.
- 2013
Grow Again
Grow Again
January 1, 2013After 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.
- 2014
Rebrand & Relocate
Rebrand & Relocate
January 1, 2014
Joining with another company, the Spicer’s expanded, rebranded, and relocated to New Romney, with 21,000 sq/ft of inside working area and 10,000 sq/ft of yard space. Adding additional tiles, with a range of widely accepted sand-faced tiles, the company now employed 45 people and had a facility capable of producing 300,000 tiles per month.
- 2017
Improving Quality
Improving Quality
January 1, 2017
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.
- 2018
The Spicer’s
The Spicer’s
January 1, 2018
The Spicer’s reverted back to being a family business, and once again used the trading name which was a well-known and trusted name within the industry – Spicer Tiles. Trading from the same premises in New Romney, the Spicer’s invite anyone along for a factory tour to see the love and hard work which goes into the products.
