Graphical Construction Glossary >> Roofs and roofing. >> Roof Coverings >> Pantile

Pantile

In the UK the name of traditional type of terra cotta or clay tile.

These terra cotta tiles are a traditional English tile that is still seen in large numbers on old properties in the UK. On the back there is a small lug at the top of the tile to allow the tile to sit over the tile battens. A nail hole is in the same position for fixing.

To allow the tiles to sit flat where they overlap a small angled section of the top right and the bottom left of each tile is missing. This cropped section is of course covered by the next layer of tiles up the roof. The tiles in the photo do not have any capping or cement at the roof side, so it is just possible to see that the bottom left corner is missing.

Above is a photograph of modern tiles that have the same basic shape as the old tiles but they have the modern feature of anti capillary grooves similar to modern cement tiles. The tiles in the photo above are on a house in Marken, Holland.

If you came here via a search engine looking for "The Pantiles" an area in the UK city of Tunbridge Wells, just to not disappoint you too much, here is a photograph taken in 2009.

Curiously I did not see any original pantiles in this area. There are a lot of old well preserved buildings, but the vast majority of roofs have shingle type terracotta tiles fixed as roof tiles and as wall gable end shingles.

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Adam Smith 1723-1790

"When we build, let us think that we build for ever."John Ruskin 1819-1900