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==Maw & Co. history==
The company was formed in Worcester in 1850, and in 1862 moved to a new factory in Broseley in the Ironbridge Gorge<ref>[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maw_%26_Co Maw & Co], Wikipedia, accessed 7/12/2015</ref>, providing a significant portion of the traffic at [[Ironbridge and Broseley]] station. The company quickly outgrew the cramped Ironbridge site, and a decision was taken to open a new factory downriver at Jackfield, home to several other tile factories. On opening in 1883, the Benthall Encaustic Tile Works were the largest tileworks in the world, employing 400 people and producing 20 million tiles annually. Tiles were exported across the British Empire via the Severn Valley railway, to locations including as the Maharaja's Palace, Mysore, India; St. Paul's Cathedral, Melbourne; and the Bank of South Africa, Johannesburg.<ref>M. A. Vanns, ''The Severn Valley Railway''</ref>
The land around Jackfield is prone to slipping, which became a constant expense to both the Great Western Railway and other local businesses. In 1882, Maw & Co undertook to sink several old boiler barrels, possibly from GWR locomotives, vertically into the ground and fill them with concrete in an attempt to stabilise the ground.<ref>The Engineer, December 8, 1882 on [https://www.gracesguide.co.uk/ Grace's Guide]</ref>
The factory closed in 1970 and now houses a collection of art, craft and design studios<ref>[http://www.mawscraftcentre.co.uk/ Maws Craft Centre web site]</ref>.