SPAB’s History at your Feet campaign, drawing attention to the plight of historic floors, was launched on 7th June 2016 – and the strikingly colourful tiled floor of our latest vesting, Llangwm Uchaf is in their top 20! It’s not often we rub shoulders with such heavyweights as Wells Cathedral, Westminster Abbey and the V&A, but St Jerome’s is listed Grade I, and the floor in question is quite rightly described as a ‘Victorian work of art’, with figure tiles made by William Godwin of Lugwardine, one of the leading encaustic tile manufacturers of the 19th century, and patterned tiles made by the equally famous Maw and Co – the whole being designed by J.P. Seddon (architect for the substantial rebuilding of the church in 1863-9).
Historic floors with their unique patina can easily be overlooked, and inconsiderate proposals can lead to serious loss of character. The Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings (SPAB) is urging us to #lookdown and share images of historic floors and #stepup – to report any special floors or floors you are concerned about to them.