Birds And Butterfly 5 Tile Set on County White

Five 152 x 152mm decorated tiles supplied together as a set, designed to be read as one panel rather than repeated at random. Originally these panels were made for the cast iron fireplaces of the period, which is why they suit a hearth, a chimney breast or a washstand splashback particularly well. The set is made to order, so allow a little longer than for the stocked plain tiles.

It is a multi-coloured decoration of birds and a butterfly, printed and glazed onto the County White ground so the pale tile reads as the background of the picture. It is a replica of a nineteenth-century design, from the period when English tile makers were filling fireplace panels with birds, insects and foliage rather than geometry. The five tiles are drawn as one continuous panel. Because a photograph flattens a translucent glaze, this is a design worth seeing in the showroom before committing.

Usually two. A Victorian cast iron register grate is tiled down both cheeks, and the standard insert takes five six-inch tiles in each side panel — which is exactly why these sets come in fives. One set does one side, so a pair completes the fireplace. Measure your own insert before ordering, because sizes did vary and some later grates take four tiles or a slightly different rebate. Send us a photograph and a measurement and we will tell you what you need.

As one panel, in the order supplied, not shuffled or repeated at random — the design is drawn to run from tile to tile. Dry-lay all five on the floor first and check the sequence before any adhesive is mixed. In a fireplace they run vertically down each cheek; on a wall they can run vertically or horizontally, but keep the joints tight and even at 2 to 3mm so the drawing carries across them rather than being interrupted. If you are using two sets on a fireplace, decide before fixing whether the two sides mirror each other or both read the same way up.

Yes — and unusually there are two versions of each. We stock Birds And Butterfly Border on County White (1) and (2), and Birds And Butterfly Corner on County White (1) and (2), all 152 x 152mm and all sold separately from the set. That lets you run a decorated border around a panel, turn it at the corners, and pick whichever of the two variants sits better with your set. Call 01344 620211 if you would like us to confirm which pairing works before you order.

Yes. The set is specified for wet and dry wall areas, so it can go in a shower enclosure, behind a bath or above a basin, provided the background is sound and properly tanked and a flexible waterproof adhesive and grout are used throughout the wet zone. The decoration sits under the glaze rather than on top of it, so it will not wear or wash off. It is a wall product only — never lay it on a floor.

Every Artworks piece is finished in the same County White glaze, so field tiles, half tiles, mouldings, skirtings and wrapping pieces are designed to be used together. As with any glazed ceramic there can be slight variation between production batches, so we recommend ordering everything for a scheme at the same time.

Artworks County White is usually held in stock. We arrange careful parcel or palletised delivery depending on the size of your order, and UK delivery is free on orders over £1,000. If your project is time-sensitive, call us and we will confirm availability before you order.

Yes. Cut samples are free to collect from our Ascot showroom, or we can post one to you for the cost of postage. Seeing the glaze in your own light is the surest way to judge how it will sit against your paint, stone and metalwork.