“A worthless crumbling tile stove…”: The tile stove of a demolished 17th-century house from Szécsény

Abstract

A large number of tile stoves representing more than one historical period have been recovered under 8 Lajos Haynald street in Szécsény by excavations carried out in 2005 and 2010. The study presents a unique type group, tile stoves that, when joined, present a continuous pattern of interlocking motifs (“terülőmustrás kályhacsempe”). Such tiles were popular in the 17th century. The finds have special significance, as not only scattered finds but the remains of a tile stove built of such tiles have also been discovered amongst the ruins of the one-time building, burned down probably during the siege of the town in 1683.