Salcombe and the Minton Tiles Mystery. Picture (s) of the Week, 23 August 2015.

Salcombe on the southernmost tip of Devon is a very pretty little town, but for the visitor who's already looked at the harbour, the lifeboat and the two or three small galleries there's not very much to do if you aren't really into messing about in boats! The crab sandwiches sold by local cafes are very good but not exciting enough as they don't last long.

Unexpected things do crop up though, if you look around. 


The view down Cliff Road towards Fore Street, the road

 is either narrow, or very narrow. One way traffic is in

force but anything bigger than a transit van would be in
trouble. Is this a clue to the unexpected Minton tiles?

Look up and you can see a procession of elegant corbel

supports to the overhanging roof. Described to me as a

'dental course', this row stops where it hits the doorway.

The only conclusion which can be drawn is that there

was once a one storey high front porch or lobby on

the house which has been removed, or was accidentally

demolished by a large vehicle.

Architectural detective work is fun!

Look down and just outside a front door

you can see these pretty encaustic tiles,

probably Minton, projecting out into the 

road, with the tarmac and yellow lines

beside them. This seems odd. Why would

the street be decorated with tiles usually

used indoors? The Salcombe climate may be mild, but pedestrians and vehicles

would quite probably damage them.