In 1515, Archbishop Warham built a grand palace, replacing an older manor house. A short lived extravagance, the palace fell into disrepair in the 1600s.
Medieval tile glazes were based on scrap lead which was heated in a furnace until it turned into oxide powder. This was brushed on to the tile surface before firing. Bicoloured tiles were introduced from the late Medieval period. A carved wooden stamp would be pressed into the tile, and the cavities filled with white clay, before glazing and firing. This style was revived in the Victorian period. Master tilers created their own designs, and moved from place to place, taking their stamps with them.
The bicolour tiles from Otford Palace date from the Tudor building (c1510).