diff --git a/ChangeLog b/ChangeLog
index 86cc1625..faa8a9fe 100644
--- a/ChangeLog
+++ b/ChangeLog
@@ -22,6 +22,7 @@
 - add @option_string param to thumbnail_buffer [kleisauke]
 - add XMP, IPCT, ICC, EXIF etc. support to magickload/magicksave
 - much lower memuse for gifload
+- tilecache speedups
 
 4/1/19 started 8.7.4
 - magickload with magick6 API did not chain exceptions correctly causing a
diff --git a/libvips/conversion/tilecache.c b/libvips/conversion/tilecache.c
index c666c580..b91305b8 100644
--- a/libvips/conversion/tilecache.c
+++ b/libvips/conversion/tilecache.c
@@ -218,6 +218,7 @@ vips_tile_new( VipsBlockCache *cache, int x, int y )
 	tile->pos.width = cache->tile_width;
 	tile->pos.height = cache->tile_height;
 	g_hash_table_insert( cache->tiles, &tile->pos, tile );
+	g_queue_push_tail( tile->cache->recycle, tile );
 	g_assert( cache->ntiles >= 0 );
 	cache->ntiles += 1;
 
@@ -318,10 +319,12 @@ vips_tile_unlocked( gpointer key, gpointer value, gpointer user_data )
 static void
 vips_block_cache_minimise( VipsImage *image, VipsBlockCache *cache )
 {
-	/* We can't drop tiles that are in use.
-	 */
+	printf( "vips_block_cache_minimise:\n" ); 
+
 	g_mutex_lock( cache->lock );
 
+	/* We can't drop tiles that are in use.
+	 */
 	g_hash_table_foreach_remove( cache->tiles, 
 		vips_tile_unlocked, NULL );
 
@@ -434,6 +437,12 @@ vips_tile_destroy( VipsTile *tile )
 	VIPS_DEBUG_MSG_RED( "vips_tile_destroy: tile %d, %d (%p)\n", 
 		tile->pos.left, tile->pos.top, tile ); 
 
+	/* 0 ref tiles should be on the recycle list.
+	 */
+	g_assert( tile->ref_count == 0 );
+	g_assert( g_queue_find( tile->cache->recycle, tile ) );
+	g_queue_remove( cache->recycle, tile );
+
 	cache->ntiles -= 1;
 	g_assert( cache->ntiles >= 0 );
 	tile->cache = NULL;
diff --git a/libvips/foreign/gifload.c b/libvips/foreign/gifload.c
index e7301b37..a9db1ce3 100644
--- a/libvips/foreign/gifload.c
+++ b/libvips/foreign/gifload.c
@@ -52,9 +52,9 @@
  */
 
 /*
-#define VIPS_DEBUG
 #define DEBUG_VERBOSE
  */
+#define VIPS_DEBUG
 
 #ifdef HAVE_CONFIG_H
 #include <config.h>
@@ -741,23 +741,32 @@ vips_foreign_load_gif_render( VipsForeignLoadGif *gif )
 	 *
 	 * Otherwise, we must update previous.
 	 */
-	if( gif->dispose == DISPOSE_BACKGROUND )
+	if( gif->dispose == DISPOSE_BACKGROUND ) {
+		VIPS_DEBUG_MSG( "vips_foreign_load_gif_render: "
+			"dispose clear to zero\n" ); 
 		memset( VIPS_IMAGE_ADDR( gif->frame, 0, 0 ), 0, 
 			VIPS_IMAGE_SIZEOF_IMAGE( gif->frame ) );
-	else if( gif->dispose == DISPOSE_PREVIOUS )
+	}
+	else if( gif->dispose == DISPOSE_PREVIOUS ) {
+		VIPS_DEBUG_MSG( "vips_foreign_load_gif_render: "
+			"dispose restore from previous\n" ); 
 		memcpy( VIPS_IMAGE_ADDR( gif->frame, 0, 0 ),
 			VIPS_IMAGE_ADDR( gif->previous, 0, 0 ),
 			VIPS_IMAGE_SIZEOF_IMAGE( gif->frame ) );
-	else 
+	}	
+	else {
+		VIPS_DEBUG_MSG( "vips_foreign_load_gif_render: "
+			"dispose copy to previous\n" ); 
 		memcpy( VIPS_IMAGE_ADDR( gif->previous, 0, 0 ),
 			VIPS_IMAGE_ADDR( gif->frame, 0, 0 ),
 			VIPS_IMAGE_SIZEOF_IMAGE( gif->frame ) );
+	}
 
 	if( file->Image.Interlace ) {
 		int i;
 
-		VIPS_DEBUG_MSG( "gifload: interlaced frame of "
-			"%d x %d pixels at %d x %d\n",
+		VIPS_DEBUG_MSG( "vips_foreign_load_gif_render: "
+			"interlaced frame of %d x %d pixels at %d x %d\n",
 			file->Image.Width, file->Image.Height,
 			file->Image.Left, file->Image.Top ); 
 
@@ -784,8 +793,8 @@ vips_foreign_load_gif_render( VipsForeignLoadGif *gif )
 	else {
 		int y;
 
-		VIPS_DEBUG_MSG( "gifload: non-interlaced frame of "
-			"%d x %d pixels at %d x %d\n",
+		VIPS_DEBUG_MSG( "vips_foreign_load_gif_render: "
+			"non-interlaced frame of %d x %d pixels at %d x %d\n",
 			file->Image.Width, file->Image.Height,
 			file->Image.Left, file->Image.Top ); 
 
@@ -813,7 +822,7 @@ vips_foreign_load_gif_extension( VipsForeignLoadGif *gif )
 	GifByteType *extension;
 	int ext_code;
 
-	VIPS_DEBUG_MSG( "gifload: EXTENSION_RECORD_TYPE\n" ); 
+	VIPS_DEBUG_MSG( "vips_foreign_load_gif_extension:\n" ); 
 
 	if( DGifGetExtension( gif->file, &ext_code, &extension ) == 
 		GIF_ERROR ) {
@@ -836,6 +845,8 @@ vips_foreign_load_gif_extension( VipsForeignLoadGif *gif )
 		 * to set the meaning of background and transparent pixels.
 		 */
 		gif->dispose = (extension[1] >> 2) & 0x7;
+		VIPS_DEBUG_MSG( "vips_foreign_load_gif_extension: "
+			"dispose = %d\n", gif->dispose ); 
 	}
 
 	while( extension != NULL ) 
@@ -862,7 +873,8 @@ vips_foreign_load_gif_next_page( VipsForeignLoadGif *gif )
 
 		switch( record ) {
 		case IMAGE_DESC_RECORD_TYPE:
-			VIPS_DEBUG_MSG( "gifload: IMAGE_DESC_RECORD_TYPE\n" ); 
+			VIPS_DEBUG_MSG( "vips_foreign_load_gif_next_page: "
+				"IMAGE_DESC_RECORD_TYPE\n" ); 
 
 			if( DGifGetImageDesc( gif->file ) == GIF_ERROR ) {
 				vips_foreign_load_gif_error( gif ); 
@@ -882,16 +894,19 @@ vips_foreign_load_gif_next_page( VipsForeignLoadGif *gif )
 			break;
 
 		case TERMINATE_RECORD_TYPE:
-			VIPS_DEBUG_MSG( "gifload: TERMINATE_RECORD_TYPE\n" ); 
+			VIPS_DEBUG_MSG( "vips_foreign_load_gif_next_page: "
+				"TERMINATE_RECORD_TYPE\n" ); 
 			gif->eof = TRUE;
 			break;
 
 		case SCREEN_DESC_RECORD_TYPE:
-			VIPS_DEBUG_MSG( "gifload: SCREEN_DESC_RECORD_TYPE\n" );
+			VIPS_DEBUG_MSG( "vips_foreign_load_gif_next_page: "
+				"SCREEN_DESC_RECORD_TYPE\n" );
 			break;
 
 		case UNDEFINED_RECORD_TYPE:
-			VIPS_DEBUG_MSG( "gifload: UNDEFINED_RECORD_TYPE\n" );
+			VIPS_DEBUG_MSG( "vips_foreign_load_gif_next_page: "
+				"UNDEFINED_RECORD_TYPE\n" );
 			break;
 
 		default:
@@ -921,7 +936,7 @@ vips_foreign_load_gif_generate( VipsRegion *or,
 		VipsPel *p, *q;
 		int x;
 
-		g_assert( line >= 0 && lines < gif->frame->Ysize );
+		g_assert( line >= 0 && line < gif->frame->Ysize );
 		g_assert( page >= 0 && page < gif->n_pages );
 
 		/* current_page == 0 means we've not loaded any pages yet. So 
@@ -997,6 +1012,8 @@ vips_foreign_load_gif_load( VipsForeignLoad *load )
 	if( class->open( gif ) )
 		return( -1 );
 
+	printf( "vips_foreign_load_gif_load:\n" ); 
+
 	/* Make the memory image we accumulate pixels in. We always accumulate
 	 * to RGBA, then trim down to whatever the output image needs on
 	 * _generate.