pantile

{{short description|Type of fired roof tile}}

{{for|the Georgian colonnade in Royal Tunbridge Wells, Kent, England|The Pantiles}}

File:Roof Tiles 3 (29910828253).jpg

File:Pantiles and lums - geograph.org.uk - 816557.jpg, Fife]]

A pantile is a type of fired roof tile, normally made from clay. It is S-shaped in profile and is single lap, meaning that the end of the tile laps only the course immediately below. Flat tiles normally lap two courses.{{Cite web |url=http://www.historic-scotland.gov.uk/informguide-pantiles.pdf |title=Historic Scotland guide |access-date=2011-02-20 |archive-date=2011-06-29 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110629140006/http://www.historic-scotland.gov.uk/informguide-pantiles.pdf |url-status=live }}

A pantile-covered roof is considerably lighter than a flat-tiled equivalent and can be laid to a lower pitch.{{Cite web |url=http://www.spab.org.uk/advice/technical-qas/technical-qa-9-clay-pantiles/ |title=Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings |access-date=2011-02-20 |archive-date=2011-07-26 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110726180017/http://www.spab.org.uk/advice/technical-qas/technical-qa-9-clay-pantiles/ |url-status=live }}

In Britain, pantiles are found in eastern coastal parts of England and Scotland including Norfolk, East Yorkshire, County Durham, Perthshire, Angus, Lothian and Fife, where they were first imported from the Netherlands in the early 17th century. They are rarely used in western England or western Scotland, except in Bristol and the Somerset town of Bridgwater.