Mangalore tiles

Mangalore tiles (also Mangalorean tiles) are a type of tile native to the city of Mangalore, India. Typically considered to be a part of Spanish and Italian architectural styles, the tiles were first introduced to India in 1860 by German missionaries of the Basel Mission of Switzerland, who also established weaving enterprises. Since that time, the industry has flourished in India with these red tiles, prepared from hard laterite clay, in great demand throughout the country. They are exported to Myanmar, Sri Lanka, and the Far East and even as far as East Africa, the Middle East, Europe, and Australia. These were the only tiles recommended for government buildings in India under the British Raj. These tiles still define Mangalore's skyline and characterize its urban setting. They are a popular form of roofing and are preferred over concrete due to their good quality. These tiles are native to Mangalore, a city in the former South Canara district on the western coast of India. Hence they were named Mangalore tiles by the tile factory manufacturers. The German missionary Plebot (Georg Plebst in reality) set up the first tile factory at Mangalore in 1860, after he found large deposits of clay by the banks of the Gurupura (also Phalguni) and Nethravathi (also Bantwal) rivers. It was called "The CommonWealth Trust Ltd." or locally referred to as Basel Mission tile factory, and was the first ever tile factory in India, located on the banks of the Nethravathi river, near Morgan's Gate, around from Ullal bridge. Currently Mphasis, An HP company has been established in this area. Several other tile factories were established in the years that followed. In 1868, the Albuquerque tile factory producing these tiles was started by Mr.Pascal Albuquerque at Panemangalore in South Canara. These were the only tiles to be recommended for Government buildings in India during the British regime. The Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus, a World Heritage Site is also topped with these tiles due to their excellent quality and were preferred over Bombay tiles by the structure's architect Frederick William Stevens.