Craven Dunnill Jackfield has been manufacturing tiles for over 140 years and today is best known for its traditional tile-making skills, manufacturing handcrafted tiles for major restoration projects such as The Palace of Westminster, St. George’s Hall in Liverpool and London Underground.
In recent years, its unique skill-set has also been successfully applied to creating contemporary ceramic installations, such as the vast murals at the Olympic Park and manufacturing ornate, three-dimensional wall tiles for the hospitality sector. Award-winning projects include faience bar fronts for the Blues Kitchen chain of bars and feature walls for Jamie Oliver’s Barbecoa. It is this appetite for combining the appeal of heritage tile manufacture with contemporary installations which has inspired this unique KTP programme.

                                  

Craven Dunnill Jackfield prides itself on the authenticity of the tiles it produces for restoration projects, which emulate those of the Victorian era. Whether encaustic, geometric or relief tiles, it continues to use many production techniques that date back to the late 19th century. These include hand-modelling and the use of original master moulds, over a hundred years old, to ensure the true underlying shape of a tile is reproduced, despite thick, uneven glazes and crazed surfaces.
Adrian Blundell, Production Director at Craven Dunnill Jackfield is heading up the KTP, working alongside Dr David Huson and Dr Peter Walters at UWE Bristol, to develop and implement 3D scanning and printing technologies which will complement the hand-made nature of the product. “3D technology is well-developed but with limited applications in product sectors such as period tile production, where inconsistency and hand-made characteristics are both fundamental and desirable. Working with UWE Bristol our aim is to unlock its potential, in so doing transforming the productivity of our design and modelling processes, and significantly reducing lead times from months to weeks.”

The KTP is due to commence September 2018 at Craven Dunnill Jackfield’s two manufacturing sites in Ironbridge, Shropshire and Burslem, Staffordshire.

Craven Dunnill Jackfield: www.cdjackfield.com T: +44 (0)1952 884124