The Manchester Tiles Letter R – Rocket

This striking Letter R Rocket Tile captures the revolutionary spirit of Stephenson’s world-changing steam engine. R is for Rocket, specifically The Rocket, the name given to the world’s first successful steam engine. Designed and built by George Stephenson in 1829, the engine remained the basic template of steam engines for the next 150 years and helped to usher in a new era of trade across the north west.

The Rocket’s ability to pull heavy loads rapidly along rails cutting through previously inhospitable terrain heralded a period of exponential growth in railway construction. After proving itself at the famous Rainhill Trials, Stephenson’s Rocket began pulling the world’s first intercity train between Manchester and Liverpool – an act that did no less than transform the world, opening up continents and global social transformation.

Each R Tile is designed here in Manchester then hand-rolled and glazed in the UK’s ceramic heartland Stoke-on-Trent, before returning for artwork firing in local kilns. A fitting end for a quintessentially Mancunian statement celebrating Letter R Rocket heritage.

Material: Ceramic

Production: Hand-rolled and glazed

Size: 6in x 6in.