Trysull & Seisdon WI get creative at Jackfield Tile Museum
Several members visited the museum in the heart of the Ironbridge Gorge, where we were warmly greeted by Jennifer Kelleher who is the education manager.
Jennifer showed us into the tile decorating workshop where we were going to try our hand at painting our own tile. There were various folders filled with designs for us to choose from. Once we'd settled on one, we transferred it onto the tile using carbon paper. Next we tubelined the design with clay slip, making a raised line to stop the different colours from running into each other. It was a bit like icing a cake and was quite difficult to get the line smooth and continuous.
Finally we applied the different coloured glazes using a dabbing motion. The colours looked very dull and not at all like we imagined. Jen assured us that once fired at over 1000°c they would be vibrant and colourful, ready to collect at our next meeting.
After a lovely lunch in the cafe we were given a guided tour of the museum by Suzanne. She told us about the history of the factory formed in 1872 by Craven Dunnill it became one of Britain's leading producers of ceramic tiles.
We were able to explore the museum and see rooms showing how tiles have been used including a butchers, church, underground station and a pub. There are many beautiful tiles to admire including those created by Salvador Dali and William Morris.
Everyone had a wonderful time and our thanks go to Jo Johns for organising such a fantastic day out.
By Di Birks - Contributor
