The best way to learn about historic houses is to look at them closely, and the most fun way to look at them closely is to do a puzzle showing a wonderful historic house! So, we made a unique and interesting collection of Historic House Puzzles for you to enjoy!
The Victorians loved elaborate patterning and encaustic tile was a popular material for producing such patterns on floors. The method for making these tiles allows the colored clay to go nearly all the way through the tile. It is not just applied to the surface where it could be worn off. This production method was developed by British potters to recreate Gothic patterns and quickly spread to use with all Victorian era styles of architecture.
Encaustic tiles by Minton and other potters in the UK were shipped all over the globe. This example is located in Bikaner Fort in the Great Indian Desert in northwest India and dates to remodeling undertaken by the 20th Maharajah of Bikaner, Dungar Singh, who reigned from 1872 to 1887.
Identical tiles can be found in 19th century homes and public buildings in the United States. Ceramic tile preservation, restoration, and replication is covered in detail in “Restoring Your Historic House, The Comprehensive Guide for Homeowners.”
Click on the dashed box at the top-right in the puzzle box below to open the puzzle to full screen. In the top left, you can change the number of pieces (100 pieces is the default), toggle piece rotation, and change the background color. Then hit “OK” and have fun!