Keymer Tiles

Keymer Tiles is a traditional British roofing-materials brand based in Burgess Hill, West Sussex, and associated with the manufacture of clay roof tiles. The company traces its origins to 1588, placing it among the oldest continuously operating businesses in the United Kingdom and among the country’s historic producers of fired-clay building materials. Its identity is closely linked to traditional red terracotta roofing and to the use of clay tiles in conservation, heritage, and architecturally distinctive residential projects. The brand’s best-known products are traditional clay roof tiles, including peg tiles used in pitched-roof construction and refurbishment. These products are valued for their traditional appearance and suitability for buildings where a historically appropriate roof finish is important. The available reference material does not provide a complete catalogue, production history, manufacturing specification, or detailed account of the company’s distribution network, so Keymer Tiles is best characterized narrowly as a specialist traditional clay-roofing brand rather than as a broad construction-products group. Keymer Tiles operates from Burgess Hill in the United Kingdom and is a subsidiary of the Austrian building-materials company Wienerberger. This ownership places the historic British brand within a larger international ceramics and construction-materials group, while the Keymer name continues to be associated with traditional roof-tile manufacture. No separate public listing or ticker is identified for Keymer Tiles itself. The brand has appeared in notable building and architectural contexts. In 2013, it supplied peg tiles for refurbishment work at Leeds Castle, a prominent heritage property in Kent. In 2023, a Surrey house roofed with Keymer tiles was shortlisted by the Royal Institute of British Architects for its annual House of the Year award. These examples illustrate the brand’s relevance to restoration and high-quality residential architecture, although the available sources do not establish that Keymer Tiles sponsored either project or that either project represented a formal marketing campaign. Publicly available reference material is limited regarding current leadership, detailed product generations, financial performance, manufacturing capacity, international sales, and recent corporate strategy. Accordingly, the brand’s documented profile is strongest in its historical continuity, traditional clay-tile specialization, British location, Wienerberger ownership, and association with heritage and architecturally significant projects.

Keymer Tiles traces its origins to 1588 and is identified with Burgess Hill in the United Kingdom. Its long history places it within Britain’s tradition of local clay and ceramic building-material production, particularly the manufacture of roof tiles for pitched buildings. The company’s historical significance is tied less to a documented sequence of major corporate transformations than to the continuity of its specialist product identity: traditional clay roof tiles with a characteristic red terracotta appearance. The available reference material does not describe the company’s original founder, early production sites, individual ownership changes, or the precise development of its manufacturing methods. It does, however, establish the brand’s position as a traditional producer rather than a general construction contractor or a diversified building-products retailer. Its principal association is with clay roofing products, including peg tiles used in both new work and refurbishment. In the modern period, Keymer Tiles became a subsidiary of Wienerberger, an Austrian building-materials company. The ownership relationship connects the historic British tile brand to a larger international group while preserving Keymer Tiles as a distinct name associated with traditional roofing. The available sources do not specify the date or terms of the acquisition, nor do they provide current production volumes, employment figures, financial results, or a detailed account of the brand’s present operating structure. The brand’s documented project history includes heritage and architectural applications. In 2013, Keymer Tiles supplied peg tiles for refurbishment works at Leeds Castle. The project is significant because it demonstrates the use of the company’s products in the repair or renewal of a prominent historic building, where visual and material compatibility are important considerations. In 2023, a Surrey home finished with Keymer tiles was shortlisted by the Royal Institute of British Architects for its annual House of the Year award. This later reference shows the brand appearing in contemporary residential architecture as well as in heritage refurbishment. Taken together, these references present Keymer Tiles as a historically continuous British clay-roofing brand whose contemporary profile rests on traditional aesthetics, terracotta roof tiles, and use in restoration and design-led residential projects. Further research would be needed to document its full product range, manufacturing history, leadership, sales territories, and detailed relationship with Wienerberger.

• 2023

  RIBA House of the Year shortlist appearance

  [1]Keymer Tilesen.wikipedia.org

  A Surrey house using Keymer tiles was shortlisted for the Royal Institute of British Architects’ annual House of the Year award.

• 2013

  Leeds Castle refurbishment supply

  [1]Keymer Tilesen.wikipedia.org

  The company supplied peg tiles for refurbishment work at Leeds Castle.

• 1588

  Origins of Keymer Tiles

  [1]Keymer Tilesen.wikipedia.org

  Keymer Tiles traces its foundation and origins to 1588, establishing its long association with traditional clay roof-tile production in Britain.

A heritage-oriented British specialist in traditional clay roof tiles, with particular relevance to conservation, refurbishment, and architecturally distinctive pitched-roof projects.

• Roofing materials

  Traditional clay roof tiles

  Keymer Tiles is principally known for traditional clay roof tiles used on pitched roofs. The tiles are associated with the visual character of fired clay and traditional British roofing, making them suitable for projects where appearance, continuity with local building traditions, or compatibility with older structures is important. The available source material does not provide detailed dimensions, profiles, finishes, or the complete current range.

• Clay roof tiles

  Red terracotta roof tiles

  Traditional red terracotta tiles are the product type most strongly associated with the Keymer Tiles name. Their warm fired-clay colour supports heritage-style and design-led roof treatments. Public reference material identifies this characteristic but does not specify whether the current offering comprises multiple shapes, finishes, or regional variants.

• Roofing materials

  Clay peg tiles

  Clay peg tiles are a documented Keymer Tiles offering and were supplied for refurbishment work at Leeds Castle in 2013. Peg tiles are associated with traditional pitched-roof construction and conservation work. The available sources confirm their use in that project but do not provide a broader technical specification or a complete account of their current availability.

• 2023

  Surrey home using Keymer tiles shortlisted for RIBA House of the Year[1]Keymer Tilesen.wikipedia.org

  Other

  A Surrey house topped with Keymer tiles was shortlisted by the Royal Institute of British Architects for its annual House of the Year award.

• 2013

  Keymer Tiles supplies peg tiles for Leeds Castle refurbishment[1]Keymer Tilesen.wikipedia.org

  Other

  Keymer Tiles supplied clay peg tiles for refurbishment work at Leeds Castle, linking the brand with the conservation of a major historic property.

1. 1Keymer Tilesen.wikipedia.org