Open Day

Barrington Court Opened to the public today,

they had around 100 visitors and about 15 came to visit me.

Marion came down and dusted my pots and sorted out my displays for me.
The three pictures on the wall are by the Local Bus driver " Mick the Bus"
they add a bit of colour and whats interesting about them is that the choice of colours
is all done by the throw of a dice.
I've moved my electric wheel so that People can watch me throwing and I can see people when they walk in the showroom. but today I was turning pots and putting handles on pots and slipping some jugs and tankards.

I had some nice comments today and a few daft ones.

To be honest it all felt a bit strange today with people just walking in.

I'm sure I'll get used to it. but No sales today

lets hope I can build from here.

Count Down - 2 Days until Open Day

We have been putting the finishing touches to the showroom

which included this glass cabinet.

with some beautiful examples of Donyatt Pottery

very kindly given to me some time ago by Doug Fitch.
It's nice to have some local history on show.
It's the first time I have seen some of my work in a glass cabinet.

I've got lots of ideas about changing the display
I'm thinking about having a Blogger shelf where I can display
work by other potters from my collection, just to showcase our blogging Community.
At this stage I have no idea what to expect regarding sales,
some times I think I have lots of stock and other times I think I have
no where near enough stock. I just don't know. Still the Court opens on Saturday
and I'm just going to see what happens with what I have got.

Slipware Jugs

I opened the Kiln this morning after firing on Sunday evening

it was 44 oc when I opened it which was a lovely temperature, you could pick them up by hand but they were still warm to the touch.

It was a very nice feeling to hold them in your hands, one of the many privileges that we potters enjoy.

These jugs were nice
and this dip bowl seemed to work, so I will develop this idea further.

Cute !

and this is a shot of the entire kiln load laid out on the rug in the showroom.

Discover South Somerset 2009

Last year, someone in the Village gave me an email address

for the people who put this booklet together every year.

I sent them my details to see if they would add me in, in the section that is free

"Other great places to visit"

I received my copy today and was very pleased to see my name in

the section called Hand Made in Somerset, along side John Leach.

You have to click on the picture to get the bigger view and scroll right to find me but i'm there.

You may recognise this little cottage which is also in the booklet
on page 3. it's the one the Tratt brothers are working on at the moment in Barrington.


More pots from the Kiln on Tuesday.

New Shelf Unit

I came up with this idea for keeping the big map on the wall

but utilising the space.
Well Chuffed I believe is the appropriate phrase.

Give Us This Day....

I put the wording on this Pancheon yesterday but put it on the wrong way around

so I scrapped it.
I put the handles on these 13" wide Pancheons today.
I'm spending a bit of time working on the showroom at the moment
as Barrington Court opens in just over a week.

New Slipware Pots.

New Pots from the Kiln this morning. I have noticed that two pots from the last firing have glaze coming away from the rim, so this time I left the kiln even longer to cool down

the Pyrometer was reading 44 0c when I opened it.

These two lidded dishes were supposed to have white slipped Knobs

but it looks like i dipped them back in the green slip.
This is a smaller Panceon with some much bigger ones to come.

Not exactly a matching set but close.

Larger bowl this is one of a pair.

and this little coffee cup has a new design that I seem to remember

on a set when I was a Kid back in the Late 60's.

Oh God I'm getting old......

Thatching - Part 3

As You can see the roof is coming on well, Trevor is going to finish this part

before Richard starts working on the ridge.

Trevor will then do the rest of the roof to the left as you look at the cottage

by that time Richard will be able to carry on with the ridge around the corner.

They are using a local straw for this roof.

Beautiful day here today.

Sunday Working

Busy in the workshop today, last weeks pots needed to be slipped

This is the simple tree design that seems to go down very well here.

Burrow Hill, or One Tree Hill as it is known seems to have a great affection in people's hearts around here.

This is the first time I have made one of these dishes within a dish

great for dips I think.
Old faithfuls

The Kiln loaded for a Bisc firing taken on Friday evening

with eventually after a bit of jiggling around 36 coffee cups in the top shelf..

and now ready for glazing this afternoon.

and some finished Mugs.

Tratt Brothers - Part 2

I stopped and had a chat with Trevor Today. He was explaining that on this roof they are

only replacing the top layer of the roof and that it is a straw roof. He also told me that they are only doing the front and side as the back had been done some years ago.
So this is what it looks like under the top Layer. Trevor is screwing wires into the trusses with this long drill bit so they can cause as little damage as possible, rather than nailing them in which will cause the plaster to fall off inside.

New Pots

Opened the Kiln this morning with some pleasing results

although I do think I should have glazed this big jug in the same colour as the Casserole.
If John is looking in This is your Casserole and this time the lid has not stuck.

I Pint Jug

New Half pint mugs

Mug & small Coffee cup.

Same mug different slip.

Small Coffee cups with various designs.

Small Black Coffee Cup.

Tratt Brothers - Master Craftsmen

My Friends Trevor and Richard Tratt, are just starting to re - thatch

this cottage in the village that I walk past every day.

So over the next few weeks I will try and keep up a photographic

record of how it's done.

It's great to see true Craftsmen at work.

Today they started putting the scaffolding up.

More pots from the Kiln tomorrow as well.

Next glaze firing is in.

I Glazed a lot of pots for my second Glaze firing today, but I found that this big Bread Bin

has a crack about an inch from the base, so it will have to have a visit from the hammer fairy.

New pots will be out on Thursday Morning.

I slipped this chap the other day and today I dipped the rim in a contrasting slip

I don't think it looks too much like a potty now.
I like this wall detail near the car park at Barrington Court
where I park the truck.
This little baby has been worth it's wait in Gold over the past week
with Floods and Snow.
Yesterday the water was up to the green line at one point.

Paul Jessop - Tree Surgeon & Potter

After a night of Heavy snow, when I went out to walk to the workshop this morning

I found that this very big branch had split under the weight of the snow, and was hanging out into the lane. So I had to get the Ladder out and cut it off using my tree saw.

Once at work I made 36 coffee cups, slipped 10 jugs and 4 storage jars and loaded the kiln for a Bisc firing.

I finished off this Casserole, but after I had put one of the handles on I decided I liked it as it was. so I have left it like this, now I'm at home looking at it I'm not so sure.
I think it looks a bit like a chamber pot with a lid.

A good indication of how bad the weather is, is that it's Friday Night
and we have not gone to the Pub.