Research & Collections
The Leach Pottery now holds Cornwall Council's entire collection of studio pottery on permanent loan as well as many of the pots from the Dartington Hall Trust collection put together by Dorothy and Leonard Elmhirst. We also have a small collection of cour own including examples of standardware, plus Bernard Leach lithographs and etchings.
The Leach Pottery works in partnership with a number of organizations to assist promote and assist with research into the work of Bernard Leach and related subjects. We host two PhD studentships with University College Falmouth and have a partnership agreement with the University of Taipei.
If you are involved in research we would love to hear from you and hope soon to be able to offer hot desk facilities at the pottery to enable researchers to work on site. Our principal research partnerships are listed below. Please visit their website and search their collections, but if you need further assistance do not hesitate to contact us at the Leach Pottery.
The Crafts Study Centre
University for the Creative Arts, Falkner Road
Farnham, Surrey GU9 7DS
Tel: 01252 891450
The Crafts Study Centre holds one of the most important collections available to researchers of Leach and studio pottery. Visit their website and search the collection here.
Memory Bay and The St Ives Trust Archive Centre
Upper Parish Room, St Andrews Street, St. Ives TR26 1AH
Tel: 01736 796408
The St Ives Trust Archive holds an extensive collection of documents and recordings relating to Bernard Leach and the Leach Pottery including recent documents from the restoration programme. Memory Bay is an oral history project designed to celebrate the heritage of the town by recording reminiscences, memories and experiences concerning artists who have worked in St Ives, Cornwall. Funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund, the project is a partnership between the St Ives Trust Archive Study Centre, Tate St Ives, the Leach Pottery, the Porthmeor Studios, University College Falmouth and the St Ives School of Painting. Visit the St Ives Archives here and Memory Bay here.
The Leach Restoration Project has acquired, restored and developed the site and its buildings in order to make them fully accessible to the general public and usable by a new generation of potters. The project celebrates the life, work, influences and legacy of Bernard Leach through the preservation of the old pottery and, importantly, through the living work of a contemporary working pottery.
For all copyright enquiries concerning Bernard Leach and the Leach Pottery standard ware please contact the Leach Pottery on 01736-799703.