AS COMMISSIONS go, it’s probably as unusual as it gets – and sadly, possibly, one of the last.

A Darwen firm’s tiles are one of the stand-out features of England’s newest, and craziest, home.

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Architectural Terracotta, formerly Shaws of Darwen which manufactures bespoke tiles, was tasked with creating thousands of individually-made ceramic nipples for A House For Essex.

The holiday home was designed by cross-dressing artist Grayson Perry for philosopher Alain de Botton – and the maverick Perry came up with a typically-outlandish creation.

One critic, after its unveiling on Sunday on Channel 4’s Grayson Perry’s Dream House, described it as: “Something from the Steppes has been washed up on the brackish edge of north Essex.

“An architectural folly, a belvedere or wayside chapel. It could almost sprout chicken legs like Baba Yaga’s hut in the Russian fairy tale and trot off down through the meadows to paddle in the nearby Stour estuary.”

Perry said: “I thought I’m only going to get one shot at designing something on this scale – so I should make it as bonkers as possible.”

Unfortunately, what has been described as a ‘technicolour Taj Mahal’ could also be the swansong to the skilled craftsmen of East Lancashire.

As reported in the Lancashire Telegraph last week, 39 people have lost their jobs after Architectural Terracotta announced that it was going into liquidation.

Directors of Architectural Terracotta Ltd were instructed by David Rubin & Partners to begin a liquidation process on May 1 and the process was formerly launched at a meeting of the creditors yesterday.

The firm, which is based in Waterside, worked on a number of prestigious projects including the restoration of the Albert Hall, the Hackney Empire and a renovation of the Natural History Museum.

Shaws of Darwen was founded in 1897 but split its manufacturing between fireclay Belfast sinks and architectural terracotta in 2009.

Shaws Since 1897 Ltd, which produces the sinks and rented part of the same factory, will continue to trade as normal.