HEREFORDSHIRE Council’s archive service is celebrating success in obtaining a grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund for an outreach programme called Paved with Living Colour.

This focuses on the work of William Godwin and Son, the renowned Victorian decorative floor tile manufacturer based at Lugwardine and Withington, which, from 1860 to 1912, produced tiles for churches, secular public buildings and homes in Herefordshire and across the country.

The programme aims to explore the local impact of this key industry and the riches it produced. It will include talks, guided walks, education sessions, arts workshops and research.

“It’s easy to forget just how important the Godwin tile industry was to Herefordshire a century ago,” said senior archivist Rhys Griffiths. “There is precious little left to remind us of the factory complex and only the glorious tiles survive to tell their own story.

“We are keen to hear from anyone with local information about the tile works, as well as any volunteers who would be interested in helping us in our archive and archaeological research.”

Dr Margaret Gill, who has written extensively on the Godwin floor tiles, will give an introduction to the family, the factory and its products in a free talk at 11am on Monday, April 29 at the Museum Resource and Learning Centre.

There will also be a free cross stitching workshop, using the tiles as inspiration, on May 9 at the Resource and Learning centre in Friars Street. The workshop runs from 6pm to 9pm and will be suitable for beginners and more experienced stitchers alike.

Booking is essential, call 01432 260750 for further information.