Tenement tiles

Tenement living isn’t just for the Scots. With these historic domestic spaces holding the same title worldwide, many will call a tenement building home at one point in their lives. From New York to Berlin, finding living spaces for workers and their families during the industrial push of the 1800s became a priority and Glasgow was no different. Large square buildings easily sectioned off, these tenements provided individual living spaces for the great many who arrived in cities looking for employment. These flats would became the solution the world over. However, due to large families, cramped living and shared amenities (such as one bathroom to a block), unsanitary conditions and the illnesses that would follow became a increasing concern.

Tenement stairwell, Glasgow

Cleanliness, particularly within the shared stairwells, wash houses and toilets, became an important part of the fight against the unsanitary. Hard-wearing and easy to clean fixtures & fittings were routinely used to build these shared spaces. Encouraging airflow, natural light and regular cleaning by the residents, many of these buildings remain unchanged 100 years on. The now famous Wally closes of Scotland, with their stunning tile-lined walls, are a legacy of this.

Below we’ll look at some examples of the styles of tiles found in a Wally close and examine the process involved in creating the designs.

Tubelined tiles

Tubelined tiles

This style of tile can be found all over the historic building landscape, generally adorned with floral art. The raised effect is achieved by piping an outline of the desired design onto a plain tile with slip clay. The outline will then be filled to complete the final piece. This is a traditional process, usually done by hand, using a piping tool similar to that used in cake decoration.

Transfer printed tiles

Transfer printed tiles

This style of design allows for an engraved image to be transferred to a pre-existing plain tile. The engraved plates are usually created from woodblocks or copper, woodblocks providing a less expensive option to copper. However, copper plates allow for a more uniformed design across a larger number of tiles. The image is then fired for a short period of time, at a low temperature, completing the transfer process. The method was simple and quick to complete, compared to other design processes of the time. Although, due to the design usually being added after the tile itself was fully created, the pattern is more prone to visible wear and tear.

Moulded tiles

Moulded tiles

This is the most regularly used style of tile across the Wally closes of Glasgow and beyond. Soft clay is pressed into a tile mould with the desired design inverted. The mould helps create a uniformed design and depth for the tile. Once dried, the glaze is added. The glaze is usually a selection of colours, allowing for a variety from the same mould. Due to the glaze’s liquid state, gravity pools it in the design’s crevices adding to the texture and allowing for the natural clay to appear through at higher points.

Kizil Mansions tiles

Kizil Mansions

Most tiled tenements have a repeating set of tiles, running from the entrance to at least the first floor landing. If you live in what’s referred to as a ‘super Wally’ the ornamentation will continue to follow you to the top floor. It’s very rare that a tenement’s stairwell would deviate from this established layout. However, there’s always room for the unusual when it comes to decoration. Kizil Mansions was built by bookmaker James Dempsey in 1912. This business man was clearly a fan of tiled art. This super Wally, contains around 32 individual tile designs, created by the various processes of tile-making. These ceramic gems cover design themes such as landscape, nature, and music.

Lizanne Phee runs the instagram @tnmnttiles, an archive of historical design and discoveries from Scottish tenements and beyond.