After deciding that one whole day at home with my parents was more than enough i decided to pay a visit to swallows tiles a place i had been meaning to visit for some time,
"The company was founded on the present site at Bookhurst Hill, Cranleigh in around 1894, although production was commenced on an adjacent site in 1860.
Originally the company produced only bricks and clay pots which were not only used locally, but transported by canal to London. The founder, Raymond Swallow, was persuaded to manufacture roof tiles by a neighbouring building contractor and so the foundations were laid for a thriving local business supplying the immediate area with the hand-made tiles, which form such a significant component of the local architecture.
The company thrived throughout the 20th century and the management passed from one generation of the Swallow family to the next. During this period tiles were supplied to not only the immediate region but also much further afield. the business closed on 30th April 2008 and the site lay dorment since.
View attachment 272012
"The company was founded on the present site at Bookhurst Hill, Cranleigh in around 1894, although production was commenced on an adjacent site in 1860.
Originally the company produced only bricks and clay pots which were not only used locally, but transported by canal to London. The founder, Raymond Swallow, was persuaded to manufacture roof tiles by a neighbouring building contractor and so the foundations were laid for a thriving local business supplying the immediate area with the hand-made tiles, which form such a significant component of the local architecture.
The company thrived throughout the 20th century and the management passed from one generation of the Swallow family to the next. During this period tiles were supplied to not only the immediate region but also much further afield. the business closed on 30th April 2008 and the site lay dorment since.
View attachment 272012
