Horizontal Wall Tile

Although the upper part of this tile has broken off, you can still see that it was decorated with the painted figures of a horseman and a griffin. A griffin was a mythical animal that was half lion, half eagle.The tile was originally one of a row fixed along the top of a wall, just below the roof, on the outer face of a building. It was held in place by two pegs that went through the upper part of the tile. The tiles were not only decorative, but also protected the ends of the timber beams that supported the roof.