Herefordshire Pottery Making Workshop

Get creative and make your own pottery during this hugely enjoyable pottery making workshop in Ledbury, Herefordshire. Enjoy a wonderfully soothing day and discover your artistic side!
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From £ 180 For 1 Person

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Get creative and make your own pottery during this hugely enjoyable pottery making workshop in Ledbury, Herefordshire. Enjoy a wonderfully soothing day and discover your artistic side!

Pottery Experience Days: Spend a relaxing day in idyllic, tranquil countryside and get creative making your own pottery during this fantastic potter’s wheel workshop in Herefordshire. With the studio situated on the beautiful Eastnor Castle country estate close to the Malvern Hills, this pottery-making experience is the perfect environment to unwind, learn a new skill and discover hidden talents in. Whether you’re a pottery beginner or improver, you are guaranteed to have a wonderful time working with soft clay on the potter’s wheel creating a whole range of pots and discovering different methods and techniques.

The instruction is encouraging and inclusive, which means everyone can achieve amazing results. As well as being hugely enjoyable, pottery also has many therapeutic benefits, and you should finish the workshop feeling calm and relaxed, and full of pride over your fabulous creations! So whether you are looking for the perfect unique gift for an artistic friend, a new craft to get into, or just a wonderfully calming activity to enjoy with a friend, this pottery workshop is just the ticket. Your Pottery Making Workshop in Herefordshire will begin at 10am, after welcomes and introductions you’ll each be assigned a potter’s wheel, and after an initial demonstration you will be taken step-by-step as a group through the pot making process. Once you have got the hang of things, you'll be encouraged to develop at your own pace with individual tutoring given as and when required.

Around 1pm there’ll be a lunch break for an hour, please bring a packed lunch with you, but you are very welcome to take a shorter break and get straight back on the wheel for untutored practice. In the afternoon there will be further demonstrations, after which you'll work larger lumps of clay making bigger pots and exploring different forms and shapes. The workshop concludes by cleaning the wheels and selecting between one and three pieces to be fired and glazed. (Weight dependent – extra pots can be fired at £6 per 250g, payable on the day). The course ends at 4pm.Your fabulous creations need to dry thoroughly before going in the kiln, and once they have been fired and glazed your finished pots will be carefully wrapped and dispatched to your home address. You’ll be delighted at the professional results when they arrive on your doorstep approximately one month later.

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Availability

Workshops take place throughout the year on specific dates, usually at weekends but  sometimes during the week.

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Requirements

Minimum Age: 16
Maximum Age: 100

Apron and towel hire is an extra £5 per person – participants are encouraged to bring their own. Although drinks and biscuits are provided, please bring your own packed lunch. 

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Duration

Experience Duration: 6:00

Time Spent at Venue: 6:00

The Pottery Making Workshop in Herefordshire lasts for six hours, from 10am to 4pm.

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Group Size & Spectators

Participants: The Herefordshire Pottery Making Workshop is for 1 participant.

Max Group Size: 8

Spectators Allowed on Site: No

Minimum Group Size: 1
Maximum Group Size: 8

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Where is it Located

Ledbury (Herefordshire)

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What to Wear

Please wear old clothes and footwear that you’re not precious about as they will get splattered in clay. Bring an apron and towel, alternatively you can hire these at £5 per bundle. All tools and materials will be provided by the studio.

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Weather

The Pottery Making Workshop in Herefordshire is an indoor activity so is not weather dependent.

Reviews
Kathryn Walker - Haydock
  • 11/10/2022
Such a lovely experience in a relaxed atmosphere, John was very personable and provided support every step of the way. I took my teenage daughter and she thoroughly enjoyed it too. Would definitely recommend this experience.
Ms. Margaret Walton - Herefordshire
  • 14/08/2022
I was a little unsure as to what this pottery making workshop would be like, but it beat all my expectations. I had a brilliant time, learnt to actually 'throw' a pot and met some lovely people. The couple running it (Jon and Sarah) were e...
I was a little unsure as to what this pottery making workshop would be like, but it beat all my expectations. I had a brilliant time, learnt to actually 'throw' a pot and met some lovely people. The couple running it (Jon and Sarah) were excellent. Not only were they knowledgeable and good teachers, but both such friendly and interesting people. The day was informal, but instructive and my nerves soon disappeared as Jon and Sarah put us at ease. Each stage of the process is demonstrated and explained fully and then they are on hand to support you as you have a go yourself. On top of all this, a spectacular setting and the pottery shed itself is such a relaxing and 'happy' place to be. Highly recommend to anyone and thanks to Jon and Sarah for making it extra special
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Maggie - Oxfordshire
  • 30/10/2018
Nestled in a beautiful environment, the pottery is warm and welcoming. Jon’s experience as a potter and working with people is clear in his welcome and throughout the experience as any apprehension or uncertainties are swept away with cle...
Nestled in a beautiful environment, the pottery is warm and welcoming. Jon’s experience as a potter and working with people is clear in his welcome and throughout the experience as any apprehension or uncertainties are swept away with clear instruction and positive support. A great and surprisingly productive day! Thank you .
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Kath Bowater - Anonymous location
  • 13/04/2014
I did not know quite what to expect, or as a complete beginner how skilled I was expected to be . I need not have worried. It was all very relaxed and Jon was patient,encouraging and helpful time and time again. The whole experience was f...
I did not know quite what to expect, or as a complete beginner how skilled I was expected to be . I need not have worried. It was all very relaxed and Jon was patient,encouraging and helpful time and time again. The whole experience was fantastic including the lovely informal lunch. I came away aching and tired, but with the biggest smile on my face and the desire to try again.
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Expert Interview with Eastnor Pottery

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Here at Experience Days we love to branch out into all manner of activities, providing our customers with the opportunities to learn new skills and try something completely unique! Eastnor Pottery are fantastic suppliers who put on informative, entertaining pottery classes, that are perfect for hen dos or as gifts for people who want to do something a bit different. I caught up with Jon who runs the classes, to chat about how it all began, and how you can become an expert potter too!

1) Please explain your journey as ‘Eastnor Pottery’ so far.
There had been some sort of planning dispute on a building site next door to the house where I spent my childhood. As a result, the foundations had been dug and abandoned for at least a couple of years. This landscape of trenches and spoil heaps became our childhood playground. Vast seams of different coloured clays and earth were easily accessible and we dug, threw at each other and modelled our way through this fantastic raw material. I particularly remember modelling little fighter planes out of a yellowish marl, burnished with a finger to a shiny finish. I think the love affair with clay started right there.

Eastnor Pottery 1As a child, I also enjoyed drawing and making things, but it wasn’t till the age of 15 I encountered the head of my local art-school and in a blinding revelation, realised that ‘art’ could be a job! I studied in Swindon & then Bath my experience culminating in a 1st class degree in ceramics and 3d design – I also met my wife and fellow potter Sarah Monk at Bath and together we established a studio on the idyllic Eastnor Castle Estate in Herefordshire. 20 years later and we’re still here! The business has grown and developed, not only as an artist studio but as a centre for others to explore and develop their creativity through the marvellous medium of clay.

Best part of the job? Got to be the variety of people we work with. One day we might be sharing the considerable benefits of working with clay with 12 month old babies and their families, next day it’s the board of directors of an international corporation. Everybody can engage, everybody achieves!
I love my job but there are never enough hours in the day – this is perhaps the most challenging aspect, trying to fit everything in. Coming up with creative solutions and clay projects for all the different ages and abilities, on a daily basis keeps us on our toes and is immensely creative and fulfilling.

2) What a fascinating story, it’s great to see so much enthusiasm and passion behind the work. What makes your experiences exciting and different from others?
We aim to give our clients and customers the most relaxing and creative experience possible. Lots of tea and fresh coffee, comfort breaks as and when and lunch is tasty and plentiful.

Eastnor Pottery 2Groups are small and each participant has a dedicated wheel for the day. As we have just nine wheels the group size doesn’t exceed nine participants. This allows for maximum one to one tuition and our participants are always amazed at how much they achieve in a day. The demonstration and instruction is gentle, positive and inclusive, designed to create a relaxed but constructive atmosphere.
Working on the potter’s wheel demands a certain degree of concentration. Participants often comment on the therapeutic and meditative qualities of throwing a pot and return home tired but with an overwhelming sense of wellbeing.

Why should they choose us over competitors? 20 years experience of making pots and people happy! The majority of our customers haven’t ever had the opportunity to try the potter’s wheel and our step by step approach to the process works perfectly for those first timers.

3) That’s what we love about this experience, it’s totally unique! Do you have any exclusive information you can share with us?
Play is vitally important to all aspects of my work. I love the opportunity to start with a ball of spinning clay on the wheel and just experiment and see what the stuff can do – always on the lookout for interesting developments and happy accidents. When participants take to the wheel, I’m keen to point out interesting marks, shapes and effects – in clay there are no mistakes!

Eastnor Pottery 34) Sounds addictive. Do you have any exciting plans for the future that you’d like to tell us about?
I welcome collaboration and experimentation, working with artists from across all art forms. I work with musicians, poets, and visual artists, asking questions about approach and materials. This curiosity informs all the social engagement work and fuels my enthusiasm for sharing what I’ve learnt with others.

I currently have a touring solo show of my fired ceramics. ‘Sensational Clay’ is a fun and thought-provoking exhibition for all the family to enjoy and designed to stimulate all the senses.

I’d like to continue to exhibit and develop my practice as well as offering course participants interesting things to do with clay.

5) What would you say is your most frequently asked question?
Can I cook this in my oven at home?! Clay needs to reach temperatures above and beyond 1000 degrees to make that irreversible change from clay to ceramic. When you consider that most domestic ovens do not exceed 200 degrees you start to get an idea of the heat and power to create a ceramic object. Clay pots in an oven would get very hot but would still be clay when they emerge – hot, dry mud for sure but definitely not water resistant!

Eastnor Pottery 46) I never knew that! What’s the craziest thing to ever happen during a course?
I’ve thrown a pot in front of the queen before! She had a rather immaculate light green coat on at the time so didn’t want to get too close to the iron rich terracotta clay.

I’m constantly amazed by the levels of creativity and imagination displayed by our participants – each person, each pot is an individual and this is something we celebrate here at Eastnor Pottery on a daily basis. Everybody has a creative streak – just need an opportunity and correct environment for it to emerge!

Thanks so much for talking to me, Jon. Pottery is definitely something I’d love to try in the future!

 

FAQ
Is lunch provided during the Pottery Workshop?

No, please bring your own packed lunch with you, or there is an alfresco café a short walk away serving hot drinks, paninis and cakes

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