Viva Lewes Issue #147 December 2018

BRICKS AND MORTAR
Myth of bricks
Mathematical tiles
Many, perhaps most, Lewesians
know that some of the town’s bestknown
buildings are FAKE – or at
least not quite what they seem.
Many of the ostensibly brick
fronts of older houses are not
made of brick at all, but are
covered with a type of tile. These
tiles – called mathematical tiles –
became popular during the 18th
century and were usually used to
clad timber framed houses so that
they looked as if they were built
in brick. Although these tiles are usually the same
colour as regular red bricks, they are quite easy
to spot when you get your eye in. They’re a little
smaller than bricks, often appearing to be just
‘headers’ and, because of their slender profile,
they look different at joins and at corners. Mortar
joins are slimmer than with regular brickwork,
sometimes almost wafer-thin. Sometimes
the tiles are not red, but cream or even glazed
black, as can be seen on the striking Georgian
Bartholomew House, next to the entrance to the
castle (pictured); and several other distinctive
houses around the town centre.
These tiles appear in other places in the southeast
too, especially in Brighton, and changing
taste is the reason. As exposed timber framing
became less fashionable, mathematical tiles were
developed so that houses could be upgraded
without great structural change. Although –
because the tiles hide the underlying wooden
framing – the end result can sometimes be a
giveaway. Houses with mathematical tiles often
have strange arrangements
around doors and windows
which, lacking visible lintels,
look rather odd.
If you’re curious, and you’ve
never seen it, the Lewes episode
from the 1981 BBC TV series
Six More English Towns, presented
by Alec Clifton-Taylor, is
interesting. I recommend it as an
affectionate look at the distinctive
materials and styles of the
town’s buildings (you can find it
on YouTube.) Approximately half-way through,
the characterful presenter hilariously tries to fix
a tile – well worth seeking out!
As Clifton-Taylor attempted to show, mathematical
tiles were laid in a partly overlapping pattern.
Their lower section – the part intended to be visible
when the tiling was complete – was thicker;
the upper section would slide under the overlapping
tile above and would therefore be hidden. In
the top corner was a hole for a nail to be inserted.
The tile would then be hung on a lath of wood,
and the lower sections moulded together with
lime mortar to form a flat surface. The interlocking
visible surfaces then resembled brickwork.
Mathematical tiles had several advantages over
brick: they were cheaper and easier to fix – meaning,
less-skilled workmen could tackle them – and
they were more resistant to weathering.
Mathematical tile-spotting is an activity which
gives a fresh take on the familiar buildings of our
High Street and elsewhere in the town. I warmly
recommend it! Marcus Taylor
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