Skip to content

Another Fireplace Of John Moyr Smith Tiles

May 31, 2014
by the gentle author

You may recall that over the course of 2011, I collected enough Minton tiles designed by the nineteenth century artist John Moyr Smith to tile the fireplace in my living room – many were cracked or broken but that suited both my budget and my purpose. Now I have opened the fireplace in my bedroom, which was previously bricked-up, and so the process has begun all over again.

I love his lyricism, sly humour and the absurd mixture of stories that Moyr Smith chose to illustrate in his tiles, and I am attracted to the notion that they will be the last thing I see before I fall asleep. If anyone can help me find more please get in touch.

Here are the beginnings of my new collection – not sure my pet, Mr P, will approve of the last in this series. I shall place it discreetly at the back of the fireplace lest it alarm him.

Aesop’s Fables – The Fox & The Goat In The Well

Jack & Jill Went Up The Hill

Cymbeline – Iachimo Climbs From The Trunk In Imogen’s Bed Chamber

Julius Caesar Lands In Britain

Richard Coeur de Lion & Bertrand de Gourdon  AD1199

Aesop’s Fables –  The Tortoise Which Wished to Learn To Fly

King Harold Wounded At The Battle Of Hastings 1066

Winter – The Snow Storm

Aesop’s Fables – King Log & King Stork

Grimm’s Fairy Tales – Rumpelstiltskin

King Edward The Martyr

Aesop’s Fables – The Ape, Cat & The Roast Nuts

You may also like to read about

John Moyr Smith’s Tiles 1

John Moyr Smith’s Tiles 2

John Moyr Smith’s Tiles 3

John Moyr Smith’s Tiles 4

Simon Pettet’s Tiles at Dennis Severs’ House

A Fireplace in Fournier St

7 Responses leave one →
  1. May 31, 2014

    Great tiles! I hope you find enough to complete your project.

  2. May 31, 2014

    The tiles are fantastic, a wonderful collection! Valerie

  3. Carol permalink
    May 31, 2014

    These beautiful and moving tiles, so carefully collected to be used again! What a brilliant project. I can’t find the blog showing the previous finished one, so tantalisingly foreshadowed in September 20011 (before I was a devoted reader). Could you please post a link to it? Many thanks.

  4. May 31, 2014

    Stunning — but how does the fireplace appear on the whole now?

    Love & Peace
    ACHIM

  5. Susan Hall permalink
    May 31, 2014

    Could we see the finished product from your last collection?

  6. Pauline Taylor permalink
    May 31, 2014

    Poor Mr Pussy, you certainly will be in his bad books if he sees that last one, it’s enough to give a pussy cat nightmares!

  7. Catherine permalink
    June 1, 2014

    Wonderful! I can’t wait to see the finished fireplace–with Mr. Pussy curled up in front of it.

Leave a Reply

Note: Comments may be edited. Your email address will never be published.

Subscribe to this comment feed via RSS