The William Tyler

Farming was the way of life in Yardley into the early twentieth century. The centuries-old trade of tile making was first carried out by famers and also lasted into modern times. Yardley was ideally situated on a bed of 'particularly good red clay'. The first written record of tile-making is in a document of 1402 and refers to a William Tyler. The tile and brick making industry blossomed over the years and at one time Yardley had at least 17 kilns.