Historical information

This Minton floor tile is from the wreck of the LOCH ARD. Other examples of this manufacture have been recovered from the wreck site and form part of the collection at Flagstaff Hill. The iron-hulled clipper ship from the Loch Line was heading for Port Phillip from London when it ran into the cliffs of Mutton Bird Island near Port Campbell and was wrecked on the early morning of June 1, 1878.

The LOCH ARD was laden with high-value cargo including luxury goods intended for display at the Melbourne International Exhibition in 1880. One notable survivor from the ship’s freight manifest was the well-packed Minton porcelain peacock, a two-metre-high ceramic masterpiece of vivid glazed colours.

The almost total loss of life and property from the LOCH ARD registered as a shocking tragedy for the Colony of Victoria, at a time when social confidence and economic optimism were otherwise high. The wealth generated from gold and wool was increasingly being spent on magnificent private residences and imposing public buildings. The demand for quality furnishings and fittings was therefore strong.

Among the products consigned to burgeoning colonial markets by the Milton Pottery at Stoke upon Trent were their new range of colourfully patterned but very durable floor tiles – ideal for the high-traffic spaces in the large civic buildings then being constructed in Australia and America. These new floor tiles were “encaustic”, meaning that their designs and colours were encased within the depth of the tile. Rather than their decorative patterns being glazed onto the surface of the tile, their inlaid designs were created during the manufacturing process, as “coloured slips” (or liquid clay) that were poured into a deep pre-moulded casting. When fired, the resulting tile was colour-fast and design-fast.

Significance

The Minton encaustic floor tile is significant for its method of manufacture which makes it durable as well as decorative.
The shipwreck of the LOCH ARD is of State significance. Victorian Heritage Register S417.
Flagstaff Hill’s collection of artefacts from LOCH ARD is significant for being one of the largest collections of artefacts from this shipwreck in Victoria. It is significant for its association with the shipwreck, which is on the Victorian Heritage Register (VHR S417). The collection is significant because of the relationship between the objects, as together they have a high potential to interpret the story of the LOCH ARD.

The LOCH ARD collection is archaeologically significant as the remains of a large international passenger and cargo ship. The LOCH ARD collection is historically significant for representing aspects of Victoria’s shipping history and its potential to interpret sub-theme 1.5 of Victoria’s Framework of Historical Themes (living with natural processes). The collection is also historically significant for its association with the LOCH ARD, which was one of the worst and best-known shipwrecks in Victoria’s history.

Physical description

A square Minton floor tile with a black and beige pattern against a white base. This encaustic floor tile was recovered from the shipwreck of the LOCH ARD.

Inscriptions & markings

On the back, or base, of the tile is inscribed the number “46” and the letters “Minton & Co Patent Stoke upon Trent”.