Craven Dunnill Jackfield Expands
Feasibility of Design-Led
Ceramic Tile Installations
Craven Dunnill Jackfield has an enviable portfolio
of successfully completed, bespoke tile projects to its
name. These include period restoration work, such
as that for The Palace of Westminster and London
Underground, plus a growing number of hospitality
projects, including The Blues Bar at Shoreditch and
Brixton, Newcastle Theatre, St. George’s Hall in
Liverpool, and the Crown Bar Liquor Saloon which is
a National Trust property.
The most recently completed project is the new
Barbecoa restaurant, Piccadilly, London. The 285
cover dining area is located on the lower ground
floor and features a striking 2.8 metres high by 11
metres long faience tiled wall on either side, created in
jewel-green and white tiles, interspersed with thirteen
imposing, ornately decorated, tiled columns. Each
column is crowned with a 500 x 600mm, intricately
moulded fleur-de-lys, likewise made in ceramic. The
final moulds when filled with the liquid casting slip
weighed more than 100kgs and required technical
trials to successfully fire.
The practicality and design scope for featuring
ceramics in a hospitality environment is likewise
illustrated at the Blues Kitchen, Brixton. Craven
Dunnill Jackfield designed and hand-manufactured
the flamboyant faience-fronted, ceramic tiled bar for
the venue. It stretches 10 metres long and is set off
against a back-drop of white and blue brick shaped
ceramic tiles and amber dados, which define arched
recessed areas. There are five different designs of
tile, which clad both the bar and five floor-to-ceiling
pillars. Each of the central, large green tiles measure
245x 600mm and are convex, weighing around 10kg
each. The deeply textured relief design dates to the
late 19th century and features a repeating urn motif;
these tiles are bordered by four styles of decorative
Website: www.cravendunnill-jackfield.co.uk
blue and amber coloured dado tiles. The same designs
are featured on the 2.5m tall pillars, which are capped
with deep capital tiles, decorated with an acanthus
leaf design. The relief tiles were made using hand
carved plaster moulds and decorated with metal oxide
glazes, which craze upon firing to create an authentic
aged effect. For the large tiles, featuring the urns, each
required 200g of glaze to achieve the desired depth
of colour.
Craven Dunnill Jackfield’s technical knowledge
and expertise in the field of bespoke ceramic tiles is
unparalleled. Its unique design and manufacturing
capabilities, combined with practical project
management skills, is significantly expanding the
scope for featuring ceramic tiles as part of even the
most complex of design-led installations.