Mystery Tiles at Hulme Lock

Work has been progressing on the excavation of the Lock Keeper's Cottage at Hulme Lock for some time now. The floor plan has emerged, posing one or two unanswered questions.

Why, for example, was the rectangular building, about six by eight feet, built onto the side of the cottage which had been filled in with cement and stone? This was at variance with the rest of the site which had been filled in with soil and the rubble. The rubble came from the upper floors and roof of the dwelling which had been bulldozed down into the lower floors.

The wall of yet another larger rectangular room also emerged but it had no apparent entrance and had been sealed from the structures around it by a thick filling of impermeable clay. Was this to keep penetrating liquids in or out?

A third mystery lay in the form of numerous clay tiles found amongst the infills. These were all broken during demolition, so no accurate dimensions could be obtained. Approximately nine inches square, they were gently curved along one axis with a roughened texture on the outside of the curve. Holes were pierced at regular intervals across the whole surface. At each corner, and at the centre of each tile, there is a small plinth which is drilled through the middle. Many tiles were found with long nails positioned through the holes. Many tiles were also found with a layer of painted plaster adhering to them, the paint colour matching the cottage interior as seen on a rare photograph in the societies' possession.

After much discussion, the conclusion was reached that the curved tiles were nailed to the walls and plastered over, leaving a void behind each tile. This was to allow any water which penetrated the wall to run down behind the tiles and plasterwork, instead of soaking through into the room. The base of each wall was a sandstone block and the floors were of brick.

Enquiries have been made at various builders, but no-one will admit to knowing anything about them. Perhaps society members might be able to confirm our conclusion or come up with a different answer completely. A reconstruction is given below.

Front face of tile with rough surface and holes	Back face of tile with drilled plinths	Tiles hung on wall (plaster omitted)

Peter Keen

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