Leach Pottery facts for kids
The Leach Pottery, Museum Entrance
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| Established | 1920 |
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| Location | St Ives, Cornwall |
| Founder | Bernard Leach and Shoji Hamada |
The Leach Pottery is a famous place in St Ives, Cornwall, in the United Kingdom. It was started way back in 1920 by two amazing potters, Bernard Leach and Shoji Hamada. It's a special spot where art and history come together!
Contents
The Story of Leach Pottery
A Home for Pottery
The Leach Pottery started in an old shed that used to hold cows or tin ore in the 1800s. In the 1920s, it became a pottery. A two-story house was added to one end. Later, in 1927, Bernard Leach added another separate house at the top of the site.
The Japanese Kiln
In 1922, a skilled potter named Tsuronosuke Matsubayashi came from Japan. He helped build a special type of oven called a "climbing kiln" for the pottery. This kiln was a traditional Japanese Noborigama. It was the first Japanese climbing kiln ever built in the Western world! They used this unique kiln until the 1970s.
New Potters and Ideas
Bernard's son, David Leach, took over as manager in 1937. He had studied at the North Staffordshire Technical College. David changed how the pottery worked. He stopped making earthenware and started making a new type of stoneware. He also began training local young potters.
Many talented people came to learn and work at the Leach Pottery. Some famous names include Michael Cardew, William Marshall, Katherine Pleydell-Bouverie, Warren MacKenzie from the US, Charmian Johnson from Canada, and Len Castle from New Zealand.
Standard Ware Pottery
In 1946, the pottery started making its "Standard Ware." These were everyday pots and dishes. You can even find some of them in the V&A museum collection today! The pottery sent out catalogs so people could order their items. They continued making this range until 1979.
The Standard Ware used three main types of glazes: Celadon, Tenmoku, and oatmeal. They often added designs in brown and blue.
A New Chapter
After Bernard Leach passed away in 1979, his wife, Janet Leach, took charge. She stopped making the Standard Ware. Instead, she focused on creating her own unique pottery until she passed away in 1997.
Later, the pottery was bought by Alan Gillam. Then, the Penwith District Council bought the property. This was part of a big project to restore the Leach Pottery.
Reopening and Today
The pottery buildings were carefully fixed up between 2005 and 2008. They reopened to the public in March 2008. Now, it's a busy place! It's a working pottery studio, a museum, and an art gallery. The restoration cost about £1.7 million. This money helped save the old buildings and add new spaces for exhibitions and a shop.
Today, the Leach Pottery is managed by the Bernard Leach (St Ives) Trust Limited. This is a charity in the UK that started in 2005.
What You Can See
The Leach Pottery has two main areas where you can see art. The Entrance Gallery shows work by famous potters like Bernard Leach, Janet Leach, David Leach, Shoji Hamada, William Marshall, Michael Cardew, and Kenneth Quick. The Cube Gallery has different art shows that change regularly.
The current director of the Leach Pottery is Libby Buckley. The main potter who leads the studio is Roelof Uys.
See also
In Spanish: Leach Pottery para niños
