Roof Tiles - Did You Know..?

Why are the roofs of houses on the east coast of Britain so often laid with red pantiles?

Pantile roof materials started to appear in Britain during the 17th century, imported from Holland. But surely British craftsmen could have made the tiles? It turns out that ships exporting goods from this country to Holland would be full to capacity. On their return journey to e.g. Whitby they would be empty and required ballast. The pantile tiles were used for that purpose and became a feature of houses in seaports along the coast.

Gradually their use spread further to surrounding districts as merchants and farmers trading through the ports admired this effective roofing method. I expect the success of pantiles was in no small part due to the ease of use compared to thatching and the weight associated with the heavier sandstone flags primarily used prior to their introduction.