# Swallow's Tiles, Cranleigh - May 2010



## professor frink (May 6, 2010)

History;

The company was founded by Raymond Swallow on the present site at Bookhurst Hill, Cranleigh in 1860.

Originally the company produced bricks and clay pots which were transported to London by canal. Raymond Swallow was asked to manufacture roof tiles by a building contractor and the foundations were laid for a thriving local business supplying the immediate area with the hand-made tiles.

As recently as the 1950s the clay was dug by hand and transported to the factory buildings by means of a narrow gauge railway where the tempering of the material was carried out by steam powered machinery.

After hand moulding, the tiles are carried to a nearby drying area where they rest for 2 days before being turned over to their final drying position. This drying process is by warmed air and can take up to 13 weeks.

Following the drying, the tiles are transferred to the traditional kilns which up until the early 1970s were fuelled by Welsh steam coal. More recently they were fired by natural gas.

The company thrived throughout the 20th century and the management passed from one generation of the Swallow family to the next. Unfortunately the old fashioned process of hand making, drying and firing the tiles combined with the excessive use of energy meant that the company found it difficult to be competitive in the market place.

Plans were in place to modernise but unfortunately these plans never came into fruition and the business closed on 30th April 2008.

1.






2. The once Welsh steam coal fired kilns.





3. Kilns then and now.





4.





5. Step 1, knock wall down. Step 2, remove kiln.





6. Old fitters shop.





7. Drying area.





8. The once steam driven bevel gears. 





9.





10. Tile moulding and drying area. 





11. Fittings drying area then and now.





12. Tile drying area then and now.





13.





14. Vast tile storage area.





15. Tile production. Each mans quota was 800 tiles a day.





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19.


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## TK421 (May 6, 2010)

Very good Prof, I really like the look of this place, and a suprising amount left unchavved.


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## klempner69 (May 6, 2010)

Something quite different for a change..cant be many yobs in that area,as it`s not wrecked! .Well done Prof.


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## King Al (May 6, 2010)

Good stuff Prof, great pics and an interesting bit of history


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## Foxylady (May 6, 2010)

Fabulous find. Unusual and nice to see a slow, natural decay instead of mindless vandalism.
Love the Fitters Shop. Cheers.


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## professor frink (May 8, 2010)

TK421 said:


> Very good Prof, I really like the look of this place, and a suprising amount left unchavved.



Cheers guys, It was quite nice to find a site with no security, disabled access and pretty much unchavved.

The only graff in there was from the old employees.


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## muppix (May 9, 2010)

Very well done Prof! I like the 'before & after' images - always great at driving home just how much things have changed. Thanks for taking the time to do this mate, nice one!

m.


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## Lady Muck (May 9, 2010)

Great pictures 

I live in Cranleigh, and I drive past the site most days.

I remember as a kid my school had an outing to Swallow Tiles. Ahhhh, fond memories .........
Such a shame to see it like that now 

I hear that they plan to (or would like to) put several dwellings on the site 

You're correct when you say there ren't many chavs in the area, we're all pretty boring around here 

Lady Muck


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## chaoticreason (May 10, 2010)

Excellent photos and history from Chavefreelandshire,I can't find it on the map though. 
It has a very evocative feel of the past which is fast dissapearing under the concrete of the future.On reading the history it makes for a sad ending to a lost age of craftsmenship.
If you find out they are going to demolish it,please don't tell me.


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## professor frink (May 10, 2010)

Lady Muck said:


> Great pictures
> 
> I remember as a kid my school had an outing to Swallow Tiles. Ahhhh, fond memories .........
> Such a shame to see it like that now
> ...



Funny you should say about the school outing, above the old shoes in pic #16 is a letter from a school thanking them for the day out and for the tile they made and got to keep.

You need to pop in relive those fond memories.................


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