Missing medieval floor tiles returned to Wenlock Priory after 60 years in a biscuit tin

Missing pieces of the striking medieval tiled floor at Wenlock Priory, Shropshire, are finally set to return home after spending the last six decades hidden away in a dusty tin, announced charity English Heritage today.

Three decorative clay tiles, dating from the late 13th to early 14th century, have come to light thanks to the conscience – and long memory – of a man who visited the Shropshire site almost sixty years ago as a small child, when, encouraged by his father, he took the tiles as a family souvenir. Now with their origin confirmed, the tiles are being returned to Wenlock Priory and the care of the charity.

68-year-old Simon White, a retired Chartered Surveyor, remembers visiting heritage sites throughout Shropshire as a young boy. On one particular visit, he recalls being encouraged to help his father remove some historic tiles as a keepsake. Feeling uneasy about this ever since, he was delighted to rediscover the tiles intact while sorting through his belongings and set to work to find out where they might have come from. With the help of family diaries, he narrowed their provenance to likely coming from Wenlock Priory, which he visited in 1967, aged 9, and then contacted English Heritage who examined their origin.

“We are thrilled to see the safe return of these pieces of history to Wenlock Priory and are very grateful to Mr White for coming forward with his discovery,” said Matty Cambridge, Assistant Curator at English Heritage.

“Tiles of these designs are only known at Haughmond Abbey, Bridgnorth Friary and Wenlock Priory and would have been locally-made in Shropshire. Given that Bridgnorth Friary has no in-situ tile and wasn’t excavated until after Simon’s trip in 1989, and Haughmond Abbey has only a small patch of tile still at the site, we can narrow down the tiles found by Mr White to those from Wenlock Priory.

"There is one tile design of a dragon for which we haven’t yet found an exact parallel, which in itself is exciting as it adds to our knowledge of the site. It’s very similar to a known fragment of tile showing a swan and could indicate that this is the other half of the same design or part of a set.”

Simon White commented: “I can still remember the day this all happened with my father ‘standing guard’, heaven knows what he would have said if we’d been caught! What happened to the tiles afterwards I’m not really sure, but they survived numerous house moves and assorted family upheavals only to turn up in my loft earlier this year in a battered biscuit tin.

"The delicious irony of this is that, now I’m retired, one of my hobbies is Archaeology and the local society I’ve joined are likely to take a dim view of this! So, after almost sixty years its only right and proper that the tiles are returned home and I am absolutely delighted to be able to do so.”

Matty Cambridge continued: “The beautiful tiled floors on site comprise of inlaid medieval tiles from different parts of Wenlock Priory, re-laid in the early 20th Century. They feature various designs including heraldry, floral motifs and animals. They are one of the highlights of visiting this special place and that are cared for by our conservators and volunteers, and we want to preserve for future generations to enjoy.

"Sadly, it is not unheard of for mementos to have been taken from historic buildings, though it is unusual in this case that the artefacts were kept so well for so long and preserved. Nowadays we have far more stringent measures in place to prevent it, but if Mr White’s example pricks anyone else’s conscience from years ago, we’d love to hear from them.”

The tiles will now be retained by English Heritage ensuring they can be properly recorded and cared for. They will be kept at Wenlock Priory but may be moved to the English Heritage archaeology store for further analysis.

Wenlock Priory, located on the edge of Much Wenlock, has a history stretching back to AD 680 when it was founded as an Anglo-Saxon monastery, and subsequently re-founded as a Cluniac priory after the Norman Conquest.

Today the impressive ruins are cared for by English Heritage and are known for their architectural remains and elaborate decorative features, including the 12th century Chapter House and Cloister Garden with an unusual octagonal lavabo. The in situ medieval floor tiles, in what was once the priory’s church and library, give an impression of how elaborate the site would have once looked.