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Maw's Craft Centre is situated in what remains of the former tile factory of Maw & Co. The company was formed in 1850 by George Maw and his brother Arthur. They quickly gained a high reputation for their encaustic* “Mock-Mediaeval” tiles. A few years later encaustic tiles became the height of fashion. Maw & Co were the first to use six and more colours. Mosaic tiles also formed a large part of Maw's business. In 1862 a patent mosaic tile was introduced. At the same time George Maw was experimenting with majolica glazes and later on with faience. Transfer printed and hand painted picture tiles were produced as well as relief tiles and gilt ones with the entire design executed in gold.  By the 1880’s Maw & Co had become one of the most influential and important tile manufacturers. To help meet the increasing demand Maw & Co made more and more mechanical improvements using steam driven tile presses for example and in 1883 moved to new premises at a more appropriate site at Jackfield covering five acres with every convenience in services and layout. At the height of the tile boom the company produced over 20 million tiles a year and published lavishly printed catalogues. Maw’s “lists of persons and establishments supplied” ran to five pages and included the Royal Family, Alexander II of Russia, two maharajas, nine dukes, twelve earls, the railway companies, thirteen cathedrals, thirty-six hospitals, fifty-three public buildings, nineteen schools and colleges, and five warships.  At the end of the century Maw’s was the largest tile factory in the world. Art Nouveau designs were followed by unique Art Deco geometric styles. Unfortunately the recession at the end of the First World War and building restrictions and the closure of the railway in the decades following World War II were very detrimental for tile production in Jackfield and eventually the factory closed in January 1970, after the company was acquired by H and R Johnson Tiles Ltd of Stoke –on-Trent.
For the next four years the buildings stood as they had been left, complete with machinery, tools and equipment. Between 1974 and 1977 two-thirds of the site was demolished. In the early 1980’s the Telford Development Corporation converted some of the remaining buildings into small business units and others into flats. When the Corporation was winding up and wanted to dispose of the property, a group of tenants formed a limited company in order to buy the site in 1988. The new company was called Maw’s Craft Centre Limited in honour of its former owners.  Since acquiring the site Maw’s Craft Centre Ltd has used a large proportion of its rental income to renovate the areas that were still derelict and improve the buildings that were originally converted. The Craft Centre now houses a whole host of arts, crafts and design businesses and a tearoom. For more information please click on the businesses button.
* floor tile with an inlaid pattern in coloured clay 
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