The Leach Restoration

By 2003 the Leach Pottery had begun to fall into a very poor state of repair. Despite the best efforts of then owner of the site, it was clear that significant intervention was required if the pottery was to be saved from total ruin.

 

Leach Pottery pre-restoration 2003
 

Headed up initially by David Binch and Andy McInnes in Nottingham, a public appeal was launched. Mike O’Donnell then took up the fight in Cornwall and a huge swell of support began within the local community and the pottery world. Penwith District Council purchased the site and launched the Leach Restoration project, putting in place a new charity, the Bernard Leach (St Ives) Trust to run the pottery on completion. In total £1.7million was raised from various sources including Heritage Lottery Funding, Arts Council England, European Regional Development Fund, Esmee Fairbairn Foundation, Trusthouse Foundation, and Cornwall & Isles of Scilly Rural Partnership. In Japan the Mingeikan and Mashiko Village mustered support from individuals, raising nearly £35,000 between them. A further £40,000 was raised by UK potters donating work to be auctioned at Bonhams.


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The restoration project 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. Leach himself was always resistant to being relegated to a museum and so the project aimed to celebrate his life, work, influences and legacy through not only the preservation of the old pottery but most importantly, through a living, working contemporary pottery.

With new workshops and exhibition space designed by Gavin Woodford of GHK Architects, students and apprentices are able to work alongside established craftsmen to develop their techniques and establish their careers as the next generation of Leach potters.


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The Leach Pottery from the Stennack River (Rebecca Peters 2008)

 


Bernard Leach


The Leach Legacy


The Japan Connection


Research & Collections

The Leach Pottery museum holds collections from Cornwall Council and the Dartington Hall Trust as well as our own small collection of Leach related pots, prints and artefacts.

 

 

Copyright

For all copyright enquiries concerning Bernard Leach and the Leach Pottery standard ware please contact the Leach Pottery on 01736-799703.




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