The mechanism of assembly started with liaison and briefing of volunteers, and the experimental scanning of watercolours. The Millennium Commission generously funded an A3 scanner which speeded the capture process. A running concordance of scans was made on photocopied (x 2) versions of Irene Hore's notebooks (I - VII).

As a practical division of labour it was agreed that Worcester should concentrate on image collection, while the Ashmolean focused on compiling the database. Data-logging of the records by county allowed for an overview of the distribution of tile designs across England and Wales. A detailed analysis of distribution patterns could be undertaken at a future date.

The collaboration worked well, and by October 2000 two volunteers working one day per week were making excellent progress on scanning.