Norton Priory is very well known for its nationally important collection of medieval floor tiles. The original floor would have used 40,000 tiles covering 500sq m.

To produce 40,000 tiles the kiln would have had to be fired 54 times, assuming an optimum load of 750 tiles. 1 firing a week would have been possible, so the floor could have been completed in 2 years.

The kiln had to be fired for 12 hours minimum, reach 1000 degrees centigrade, and the best tiles would be achieved by firing for 14 hours.

The tilers could only have fired in the summer, so in the winter they would have laid the floor, collected more clay to allow it to weather, and collected wood for fuel for the next season.