WORKSHOP: Castle Towers Pottery

Northumberland is the Land of Castles – so why not come build your own!

Our beautiful studio is just five minutes walk from Ford Castle, and as Northumberland is an ancient landscape peppered with castles and towers of all shapes and sizes, inspiration for your own ceramic fortifications isn’t hard to find!

Ford Castle – just five minutes from the studio!

This hand-building pottery session has been designed for the young and un-young, but will require focus and concentration! You will create a castle tower using the slab-building method before adding windows, arrow slits, roofs, draw-bridges, portcullises, chimneys etc (basically whatever you fancy) in just two hours! Although simple in principle, it will involve all your creativity – but first you’ll have to decide whether your castle is the setting for a medieval siege or a fairy tale! The basic method will be outlined at the start, and then it’s up to you to create your castle! Once finished, your castle will stay at the studio to be fired, dip-glazed and then re-fired. If you have added windows or other openings they would make beautiful tea light holders. [But we recommend battery powered tea lights or fairly lights at the towers will get very hot with a candle in…]

These two towers have more of the fairy -tale about them…

There are only six places per session – this allows enough access to support for everyone to be successful! As this is a creative class designed to be accessible to all including younger potters, we must insist that a parent or guardian attends with any participant aged 16 or under. The numbers are limited to avoid over-crowding in the workshop. Each ticket books a maker’s-seat at the pottery table. If you are going to attend as a (free) spectator, please make a note of this at the time of booking.

These two examples feel more military – one being menaced by a giant squid, the other with it’s draw-bridge lowered…

If you book a place for a young person and feel they will need help in creating their castle, please come along and help them (as a non-paying spectator). Even with only six people booked in a session, it can be difficult to support everyone in the way they need. Again, please note this at the time of booking.

The ticket price covers all tuition, tools, firings and glaze for one castle tower. Please note that these pots will be glazed in just one colour – dip-glazed as you request.

A word of warning – the kiln Gods can be fickle, and despite doing everything possible, some pieces will fail, crack or blow up (!) in the kiln. There are no guarantees in pottery, not even for seasoned potters. A second word of warning – working with pottery can be hugely addictive. You have been warned!

The New Ford Studio is housed on the ground floor of the old Reading Rooms – you will find it just up the road from Lady Waterford Hall. Nearby are many attractions and places to walk, shop and eat; how about a near by Narrow-guage Railway (that runs to Etal Castle and back), a working flour mill, a Village Shop & Tearoom, a heavy horse centre, a micro-brewery, or a Riverside cafe?

Please note – access to the studio is only via a set of external stone steps, and there is a single toilet available on site. The booking cost (£30.00) secures a spot at the maker’s table; if you need to stay to support a younger participant, please make sure you have noted this when you book your ticket!

If you need your work posting out to you or someone else, please ensure you book an additional postage and packing ticket!

And finally – There is ample free parking at Ford, at Heatherslaw and at Etal. Ravn Clay sits at the heart of the Estate, which also offers camping, glamping, B&Bs and guests houses. And there’s plenty more to do and see while you are here –

See www.ford-and-etal.co.uk for more details