Pottery Classes 2025
With Richard St John Heeley, who has an international reputation as a professional potter and 30 years teaching experience.
Held in our beautifully equipped teaching studio at Blore Heath near Market Drayton, in the middle of the lovely Shropshire countryside, these sessions are intensive, informative & a great opportunity to improve your pottery skills in picturesque surroundings.
Porcelain Masterclass
25th-27th July
Porcelain is a clay steeped in both history and mystique, and is notoriously tricky to work with. Our course is designed to demystify and to equip you with the skills and techniques to throw and work with this most refined material, as well as giving you an overview of its origins and historical significance. Richard will discuss the characteristics, technology and history of porcelain, demonstrating techniques and strategies for success in throwing and turning. He will also describe and demonstrate his blue and white underglaze processes.
To attend this course you should be able to centre a 500g ball of clay and throw a 6’’ cylinder confidently & quickly. The sessions will consist of demonstrations, one–to-one tuition and independent working; you will receive individual tuition periodically throughout the day to troubleshoot any particular issues. Constant observation & feedback from Richard will ensure you get the most out of the sessions.
Each student has their own wheel, and all materials are provided. Students should bring their own tools, overalls or apron and a throwing towel. You are welcome to bring your own batts. You are welcome to take any finished green ware home with you to fire (please bring your own ware boards, packing boxes, plastic bags and wrapping) or if you would like us to bisque and/or glaze fire any of your work we can do so at our standard firing rate. Fired pots can be collected from us or sent by courier at market rate.
The three-day masterclass is £625, which includes materials, two bags of porcelain per person, two-course lunch and plenty of tea, coffee and homemade biscuits. On the third day there is an option to learn how to decorate your new work with underglaze, focusing on brushwork, mark making and pattern design using cobalt pigments.
Please let us know of any allergies or dietary requirements at the time of booking, and let us know if you have any accessibility requirements prior to booking. We can also provide recommendations for local accommodation.
Maximum 8 places
If you would like to book a masterclass, go on the waiting list for next term’s classes, or go on our mailing list for news about future events, please email Lucy on hempmillcookery@gmail.com.
Stoneware Throwing Workshop
2nd-3rd August
This course is designed to build upon basic throwing skills and to refine technique to increase the scale, finesse and complexity of your pottery repertoire. Turning and finishing will be included. To attend this course, you should be able to centre a 500g ball of clay and throw a 6’’ cylinder. The sessions will consist of demonstrations, one–to-one tuition and independent working; you will receive individual tuition periodically throughout the day to troubleshoot any issues. Constant observation & feedback from Richard will ensure you get the most out of the sessions. You will also cover slip decoration; from fine brushwork skills to broad hakeme strokes, as well as other techniques to enhance your work.
Each student has their own wheel, and all materials are provided. Students should bring their own tools, overalls or apron and a throwing towel. You are welcome to bring your own batts. You are welcome to take any finished green ware home with you to fire (please bring your own ware boards, packing boxes, plastic bags and wrapping) or if you would like us to bisque and/or glaze fire any of your work we can do so at our standard firing rate. Fired pots can be collected from us or sent by courier at market rate.
The two-day masterclass is £585 which includes materials, two course lunches and plenty of tea, coffee and homemade biscuits. Please let us know of any allergies or dietary requirements at the time of booking, and let us know if you have any accessibility requirements prior to booking. We can also provide recommendations for local accommodation.
Maximum 8 places
If you would like to book a masterclass, go on the waiting list for next term’s classes, or go on our mailing list for news about future events, please email Lucy on hempmillcookery@gmail.com.
Beginners Taster Sessions
The next tasters are Wednesday 4th June and Saturday 7th June 10am-1pm.
You will start straight away hand building a cup to introduce you to using clay, then wedging and preparing for throwing, before starting on throwing simple shapes, and learning the basics of making bowls, beakers and cups. Each student has their own wheel, and all tools and materials are provided. The session will be made up of demonstrations and one–to-one tuition. Constant observation & feedback from Richard will ensure you get the most out of the session. We will glaze and fire your two best pots for you to pick up later.
The cost of the day is £85 which includes materials, firing and plenty of tea, coffee and homemade biscuits. Maximum 8 people per class.
If you would like to book a taster day, go on the waiting list for next term’s classes, or go on our mailing list for news about summer schools and future events, please email Lucy on hempmillpottery@gmail.com.
We may have new spaces available in our weekly pottery classes on Tuesday mornings, Tuesday evenings, Wednesday mornings and Wednesday evenings, starting 10/6/25.
Email for availability.