West Country Potteries

The Easter holidays are fast approaching, marking the traditional beginning of the seaside holiday season. One of the most popular areas of the UK at this time of year is the West Country - not only does it have some of the best beaches, but it tends to have the best weather in the UK, too.

Perhaps because of its more laidback lifestyle and its rural beauty, Cornwall and Devon have always attracted creative types - not least a significant number of art potters, who have set up shop in the region over the years.

Most famously of all, perhaps, was Bernard Leach, who founded his pottery in St Ives in 1920. A lottery grant enabled the Leach Pottery to reopen in 2008, providing an excellent reason for studio pottery fans to visit this town. St Ives was also once home to Troika Pottery, which was based at the waterfront Wheal Dream site (now the St Ives Museum) from its foundation in 1963 until 1970, when it moved to Newlyn.

Some examples of Troika pottery pieces:

Early Brown Glazed Troika St Ives Double Egg Cup

Early brown glazed Troika double egg cup, Troika Rectangular vase, Troika Spice vase, Troika Marmalade vase & Early Troika Wheel vase.

Other collectable West Country potteries include C. H. Brannam and Baron, both of Barnstaple, and Watcombe, which was based in Torquay. All of these are now sadly defunct but are distinctively styled and genuinely collectable wares for lovers of art pottery.

Finally, there are a couple of potteries that aren't from the West Country, despite their names. Crown Devon was a brand of the Fielding's pottery and was firmly based in Stoke-on-Trent with no connection to Devon at all. Similarly, T. G. Green's Cornishware was manufactured in Church Gresley, in Derbyshire - the name Cornishware was a clever and successful piece of marketing, intended to conjure up images of sunny days and blue skies!