Sandtoft, Wienerberger’s UK roof brand, has received an impressive number of leads and enquiries following a successful Plain Tiles launch event in April. Held at The Bargehouse, OXO Tower in London, the event showcased the new range, saw Wienerberger’s conservation experts demonstrate a host of skills and techniques, and welcomed renowned architectural historian, Dan Cruickshank, as he took centre stage to share his passion for clay and historical buildings.

The launch event followed substantial investment in capacity and machinery for new sanding techniques at Wienerberger’s Broomfleet factory, where all of the clay Plain Tiles are manufactured.

Taking over three floors of the iconic Bargehouse at OXO Tower, the event saw architects, merchants, housebuilders, specifiers and journalists unite to experience what has been hailed as one of the best launch events in the industry. The ground floor was home to Training Manager, Simon Dixon, and his tools, where he showed a mesmerised audience how to lay a laced valley. Heritage Craftsman, Ian Martinson, took residence on the second floor where he hand-carved an intricate finial. The second floor was also home to a series of display rigs, seeing Sandtoft’s entire range of Plain Tiles on show.

Dan Cruickshank took to the stage part way through the evening. The celebrated architectural historian, author and television presenter is a passionate campaigner for historical buildings, which is evident by his numerous roles in the industry. A founding Trustee in 1975 of SAVE Britain’s Heritage, a co-founder of the Spitalfields Historic Buildings Trust and a member of the Executive Committee of the Georgian Group, he also sits on the Architectural Panel of the National Trust.

Wienerberger’s Okewood range, which sits within Sandtoft’s selection of Traditional Plain Tiles, was particularly well received at the event. The machine made clay plain tiles, fired with a muted, mottled finish giving the appearance of sand, are quite unique in the market and are ideally suited to traditional architecture, and interestingly, also look perfectly at home on the most modern contemporary buildings.

Wienerberger’s industry-leading clay product range by Sandtoft sees several new designs bringing a new texture or colour to the already highly sought after range. All manufactured at Broomfleet, where the company has extensive clay reserves formed from the alluvial plain of the river Humber over 10,000 years ago, the new clay tiles offer the specifier, housebuilder or homeowner a range of benefits.