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| Granja Station Portugal Azulejo is a form of Portuguese/Spanish tin glazed ceramic tilework derived from the Arabic zellige meaning polished stone, as the original idea was to imitate Byzantine mosaics. In early June we visited Porto and decided to explore beyond the city with a visit to Mirimar a short distance to the South, famous for its chapel on the beach, Senhor de Pedra - Lord of the Rock. However, we accidentally took a train that did not stop at Mirimar and had to make an impromptu stop at Granja (farm in Portuguese) to change trains. Many will have visited or will be aware of the majestic tiles lining the walls of Porto's Sao Bento railway but the use of the magnificent Azulejo tiles extends beyond palatial stations to less well-kept rural and suburban stations, like the one at Granja. Not only are the tiles used as decorative piping they often depict images of historic buildings such as Batalha Monastery, the monastery of the battle, in Leiria which was built to commemorate the Battle of Aljubarrota and the Bucaco Palace an ancient convent which eventually became a hotel, in the Bucaco Mountain range. Not quite the art deco travel posters that were common in British railway stations in the 1920s and 30s advertising the delights of places like the Yorkshire Dales and Alton Towers.   Azulejo Tiles Granja Station Bucaco Palace
The influence of Middle Eastern design on the design of Granja station an everyday building reminded me of this picture I took of the entrance of the old Minton Hollins factory a couple of months ago. The decorative door frame appeared to be particularly Moorish in design. Many people probably walk past it everyday, without even batting an eyelid. On this unusually sun-drenched April shower of a day, I thought the lighting and tiled archway beautifully framed the ordinary door. In fact, if you look at the facade of the building, which is still standing on Shelton Old Road, the decoratively tiled arches are a repetitive feature above the windows. For me, this is a subtle homage to Minton Hollins.  Minton Hollins Factory Door Minton Hollins was responsible for producing the most prolific familiar tiles of the 19th and 20th century. In Portugal, the Azulejo tiling equally prolific and familiar can be found on domestic walls and also adorning grand buildings. Minton tiles may appear to be possibly a little more modest, than the Azulejo, with a focus on patterns rather than grand pictoral narratives but as with Azulejo tiles, Minton tiles, with their Moorish referenced designs, can be found in both domestic and palatial settings allowing a democratising appreciation. Additional References
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