Making tiles

Clay,water,sand and fire – for thousands of years these ingredients have been used to make tiles to protect roofs. At Ballenberg this craft has come to life again. In the tilery from Péry, Berne (141), beaver tail roof tiles and floor tiles are made by hand. This requires a great deal of strength, skill and knowledge. Roots and stones have to be removed from the clay, the correct amount of sand has to be added, the lump of clay has to be skillfully knocked into the mould then the tile has to be painted and placed on a top shelf to dry.

Over 3,000 tiles, floor tiles and clay bricks can be dried at the same time in the tilery from Péry, Berne (141). All the finished and very fragile blanks are tested for their suitability, as the smallest mistake can cause them to shatter during firing.