7 reasons to visit the Leach Pottery in Cornwall

This wonderful Cornish workshop and museum is dedicated to the legacy of studio pottery trailblazer Bernard Leach

Inside the Leach Pottery. Photo: Jonny Weeks

Where can you find the Leach Pottery?

The pottery is set on a hill in the Cornish seaside town of St Ives, on the main thoroughfare of Higher Stennack, which leads down to the harbour. For drivers, its roadside location is hard to miss, and parking is available onsite. For those travelling by train, it is a 20-minute walk uphill from the station.

The entrance to the pottery and gallery

Why should you visit?

This famed workshop was founded by Bernard Leach (regarded by many to be the father of British studio pottery) and his friend, the Japanese potter Shōji Hamada, in 1920. The pair met while Leach was working in Japan, where he trained under the renowned artist Urano Shigekichi (known as Kenzan VI).

The museum is dedicated to preserving the legacy of their pioneering work in studio pottery, which included collaborations with a host of artists and the development of a distinct style that combines elements of raku ware (low-fire pottery used in traditional Japanese tea ceremonies) and Chinese, Korean and British ceramic practice.

Alongside seeing the studios – much as they were when Leach and Hamada used them – there is a contemporary gallery dedicated to rotating exhibitions. There is also a shop stacked full of work by former artists-in-residence and local potters, and potters still work onsite, producing the fine Leach Standard Ware range of pieces for the home.

A patinated copper glazed vessel by John Bedding. Image: courtesy of the Leach Pottery

Which exhibits are a must-see?

A new exhibition in the entrance gallery showcases the work of John Bedding, who founded St Ives Ceramics, a gallery dedicated to the medium on nearby Fish Street. Bedding worked at the Leach Pottery, first as an apprentice and then as a full member of the workshop, from the 1960s onwards. This show presents pieces from his decades-long practice. John Bedding: 60 Years On runs until 8 September.

Young visitors can be inspired by pieces made by professional potters at the pottery

What’s on this month?

The Mud Club is an initiative for local people aged 18-25 to gain experience with clay, from working on the wheel to hand building. The summer term has started and there will be a session on 30 July, in the evening. Contact makewithleach@leachpottery.com for more information and for future events.

Inside Barbara Hepworth’s nearby studio in St Ives. Image: Wikimedia Commons

Any particular artistic connections?

Bernard Leach was an important part of the St Ives School of artists, which was dominated by figures such as Barbara Hepworth and Ben Nicholson, with whom he founded the Penwith Society of Arts. His wife, Janet Leach, joined him in St Ives several years after the workshop was founded; she was an exceptional potter in her own right and managed the affairs of the studio for several decades following his death. See the new biography of her, Janet Leach: Potter by Joanna Wason, published by Unicorn Publishing Group.

A view of St Ives

Make a day of it!

St Ives is an art-lover’s dream. The seaside Tate gallery overlooks Porthmeor Beach, a stunning stretch of sand with cafés serving food and drink throughout the year. A trip to the Barbara Hepworth Museum and Sculpture Garden, found in the centre of town, is unmissable, as is the Penwith Gallery (home to the Society of Arts) that showcases local talent. For a sweet treat, be sure to try the Moomaid of Zennor ice cream parlour on the harbour front – just watch out for seagulls!

The Grade II listed kilns at the pottery. Image: Matthew Tyas

Here’s a fun fact!

The enormous three-chamber climbing kiln built by Japanese engineer Matsubayashi was the first of its kind ever established in the Western world. It was able to hold up to 1,000 pieces and reached temperatures of approximately 1,300°C.

Find out more

See leachpottery.com

Going local

Do you live in this region – then why not join a local Arts Society?

The Arts Society West Cornwall – theartssociety.org/westcornwall

The Arts Society Falmouth – theartssocietyfalmouth.org

The Arts Society Truro – theartssociety.org/truro

Upcoming lectures include Edward Hopper: painter of loneliness with Lydia Bauman on 13 September, organised by The Arts Society Falmouth; and The gentle art of making enemies on the art of James Whistler with Douglas Skeggs, organised by The Arts Society Truro, on 11 September.