Mystery of 14th-century Penn tile unearthed during Ironmonger baths restoration

Published: 22 April 2011
by ANDREW JOHNSON

RESTORATION works at the famous Ironmonger Row baths near Old Street have thrown up a medieval mystery, writes Andrew Johnson.

An archaeological survey of part of the swimming pool area has revealed rare and expensive tiles dating from the 14th century, as well as French china from the 12th century.

The finds point to the home of a wealthy family on the site, but historians are so far stumped as to who or what that might have been.

A report in the survey describes the finds as: “A piece of glazed decorated Penn floor tile (which) has been dated to pre-1390..(and)..a residual sherd of French or decorated English pottery dated to 1170-1350.”

The report initially suggested the site might have been home to the St Luke’s Manor house, but project manager Peter Moore said this had now been discounted as the floor tile predated the manor house.

“These are very high status objects,” he said. “The tiles were hand-made and hand-painted. There was no industrial manufacture at the time, so they would have been very expensive. At that time most people had dirt floors, so even having tiles around your fireplace was to say ‘look at me, I’m wealthy’.”

He added that the site originally belonged to the ancient Ironmongers Guild which dates back to 1463 and that most of their records are still intact – many historical documents were lost to the Great Fire of London in 1666 and the Blitz during World War II.

“We were surprised at the find,” Mr Moor continued. “The Ironmonger Guild plans from the 16th century show various houses dotted around the area and one of those houses must be quite close to this site. It would have been in the southern corner of the baths which isn’t being disrupted by the redevelopment. At the moment it’s a mystery but it’s one we hope to solve once we’ve searched through all the documentation.”