minton tiles

I would consider agreeing with New York Times critic Herbert Muschamp who thinks that The Mall in Central Park is the most beautiful place in the world. The Mall ends with the upper and lower Bethesda terraces and fountain, one of the most dreamlike places on earth. For the past few years, part of the lower terrace has been closed for the restoration of the ceiling tiles. This is finally completed. The following Times interactive feature tells you all about it.

http://www.nytimes.com/packages/html/nyregion/20070101_BETHESDA_GRAPHIC/

I few years ago while rummaging through an industrial salvage yard in Springfield, MA, I came upon a box of old encaustic tiles which I bought for $15. The markings on their reverse clearly identified them as Minton and also verified the year of their manufacture, 1840, and the factory that produced them, Stoke-Upon-Trent. We'll put these into the new bathroom floor, in front of the sink. Their colors are identical to the Bethesda ones.