I am finishing up a magazine submission on the intriguing
Henry Chapman Mercer.
I've shown inside photos of his buildings and tile work previously,
but his tile work and creative building style extends outdoors as well.
Outside of the Moravian Pottery and Tile Works
where his handmade tiles are made
there are interesting kiln stacks.
They line the roof top.
Each one is a piece of art.
One of the reasons Henry Mercer went into the tile business
is because he appreciated pre Industrial Revolution hand-made work.
He didn't like everything matchy-matchy so to speak.
His castle-home, museum, and tile factory all reflect that fact.
I appreciate that about him.
It makes life so much more interesting.
It helps to have a very rich aunt support your interests!
Um, Henry had the rich aunt, not me!
Below is his castle home,
designed and built by Henry Mercer.
And he received no training in architecture or construction.
He was trained in the law, but never practiced it.
He built in concrete to prevent his collections of
early Americana from being destroyed by fire.
He really must have been a genius.
