It seems likely that the base of the northern end of Poplar Farm is of monastic origin, and that it used to be a guest house. A record from 1883 states that an ‘old Guest House (a wrong name)’ had been pulled down in the previous year.

In May 1845 two tilekilns were found on the premises of Mr William Hollingworth, in his stackyard near the gatehouse. (The cottage to the north of the gatehouse belonged to Miss Maud Hollingworth until her death in about the year 2000.) They were tunnel-like brick structures about 12 feet long, wide and high enough for a man to crawl along.  Several tessellated bricks and fired tiles were found in them. The structures were broken up to mend the roads.  

It has been remarked that St Mary’s Abbey has the largest and most interesting collection of tiles in the county. The tiles of the nave were arranged in bands to help in drawing up processions. There are several series of tiles. One is found distributed through Leicester, Nottingham and Derby; many of them were found in the Repton kiln (see below), also in the four kilns at George Street, Nottingham. The same types appear at St Mary’s Abbey and there are some at York, Hull, Aldgate (Rutland) and Coventry. The Malvern series was found at Newton Solney and at Lenton Abbey/Priory: a few of these tiles were discovered at St Mary’s. Examples of the East Midland series were found at St Mary’s Abbey, Morley and many at Ashbourne, Repton and Wirksworth, which also have representatives of another series (also found at Bakewell and Lichfield). A few erratics were also found at St Mary’s Abbey. The different series cannot be dated. Tiles generally are from the latter part of the 14th century and the first quarter of the 15th century.


Kilns were also found at Lenton Abbey and Repton with St Mary’s Abbey patterned tiles. Might this suggest a peripatetic guild of tile-makers? This conjecture might be supported by the fact that there are few local armorial tiles (e.g. Dale Abbey's Cantilupe tiles are also found at Morley, Ashbourne, Wirksworth, Thurgarton and Rossington, Yorkshire). Were they perhaps struck to commemorate the gift of the Rectory of Ilkeston in 1386 and used elsewhere purely as decoration?

A Victorian writer identified more than 60 different patterns of tiles at St Mary’s: some (at least 19 patterns) are heraldic; some are decoratively complete in themselves, others are complete in fours or 16; some have elaborate connecting links. There were some very odd big ones with a green glaze and impressed designs — some of two knights tilting. These are Early English. There is also a broken wall tile with an elaborate canopy design like the Malvern series; this has an inscription dating it at 1457-8, one of a set of five tiles depicting symbols of the Passion. It is a waster.