Gladstone Pottery Museum - Longton - Stoke on Trent UK

The town used to be full of these bottle kilns spewing out lead laden gases - this affected the health of all living in the area.  Once the lead was identified as the problem and its use reduced with the use of different materials, health improved dramatically.

this is me 'throwing' a pot while standing up at a fixed wheel.  Very different to my little Venco wheel at home and I had to have a second go!  I then took the pot away in a nice little box.  I carefully carried it in my hand luggage all the way to France where the very kind JeanMarc bisque fired it for me. More of that later!

Above Loch Ness

This pottery was so far from the first sign that we almost gave up finding it but there were stratigicly placed signs saying "keep going, not far now" but my husband wasn't too happy by the time we got there and had to drive all the way in to be able to turn around to drive out again :^)

Some nice results using an electric kiln and wax resist techniques

This was taken as we came back down into the village where we first saw the sign.

And Scotland

This fellow was making some lovely little frogs and hedgehogs as souvenirs and to fill spaces between his lovely functional woodfired ware in the kiln.

Thrown and carved urns set upside down along the roadside to catch the eye of passers-by.

Lots of potteries

Feeling very jetlagged at the moment after getting back from trip to Ireland and UK and France and Germany
Here is a snap taken at Belleek Pottery in Ireland

They are famous for their 'basket' pattern pots.

We toured their workshop (no photos allowed) and they have a comprehensive museum