Where was this produced?
The Chertsey Abbey was one of the principal religious abbeys in the country– only comparable to the likes of Reading, Glastonbury, and St. Edmunds. With its founding in the 600s by St. Erkenwald of London, the Abbey has a history clouded with destruction. While much literary work is recorded of the Abbey, it's confirmed that it was rebuilt in 889. The original abbey was very limited in terms of buildings, but the initial layout confirms a chapel, dwelling for those abbot and monks at the residence, and a grassy courtyard. The Chertsey monks spent hours of their day doing duties around the site– which included reproducing religious text, copying legal documents, recording rulings, working in the forge or the mill. Some monks even interacted with the town outside the monastery.
In 1110, the new minister rebuilt the abbey in stone– in line with the Norman architecture of the time. The Church and the Chapter house were assembled from white sarsen stone. The other buildings were made from green sandstone. Yet, the Chertsey Abbey suffered from two fires. One in 1235, another fire causing subsequent destruction in 1381. The Pesants' Revolt, a major uprising in 1381, stemmed from tensions regarding socio-economic and political causes. Records about the abbey were destroyed by residents of Egham.
The abbey's rebuilding after the 1235 fire is concluded as the time period in which the decorative Chertsey tiles were likely laid. The improvements to the abbey included fishponds, precinct walls around the main buildings, and also vegetable gardens to combat against flooding. In additions, drains were installed, wells were dug, roads were paved around the abbey, and a bridge was laid across the River Bourne where the Chertsey Library now stands.