New pottery studio and art gallery Townhouse Ceramics opening in Bishop’s Stortford

A group of friends who bonded over a discovered love of pottery are aiming to create a community of makers in the heart of Bishop’s Stortford.

Townhouse Ceramics is a new working ceramics studio and gallery where people can come together to make, learn and explore their creativity.

The creative hub is in a beautiful Georgian townhouse - which is owned by one of the founders, Kate Swann - at 16 Northgate End, in the perfect town centre location.

It has state-of-the-art equipment including professional wheels, kilns, glaze room and hand building facilities, all in a warm and welcoming environment.

Townhouse Ceramics is holding an open day on Saturday November 1 when people can drop in between 11am and 3pm to enjoy pottery and art demos, studio tours, look around the gallery and chat over refreshments.

The by-invitation-only grand opening takes place the following day, on Sunday November 2, when Rich Miller, one of the judges on Channel 4’s The Great Pottery Throwdown, will give a pottery throwing demonstration.

Townhouse Ceramics is the vision of Kate and her friends Lindsey Williams, Alex Brister, Ali Frewin and Michelle Becerra, all of whom come from different walks of life and are united by their passion for getting creative and boosting their mental wellbeing.

Lindsey, who will be managing the studio, gave up her job after 30 years in IT to take pottery more seriously, having fallen in love with it. She now holds the prestigious two-year Ceramics Diploma from City Lit in London.

Kate has held top positions at the likes of WH Smith and currently chairs the boards of several companies including Moonpig and Cambridge Bio Sciences.

Kate and HR manager Alex have known each other since they were 12 after meeting at The Margaret Dane School - now Birchwood High School.

Michelle has been a well-known local hairdresser for many years, while Ali works in local government and has been potting for over seven years, having exhibited and sold her work.

One of the driving forces behind creating Townhouse Ceramics was to pay tribute to their former pottery teacher Trevor Allen, who ran The Old George Studio in Puckeridge, where Kate and Lindsey met. Trevor died of meningitis in 2023 at the age of just 51 after having quickly built up a big creative community.

The five friends want Townhouse Ceramics to be a space that supports focused practice, encourages experimentation and fosters creative exchange. They also want the studio and gallery - “a space that gives you a big hug” - to bring people of all ages and abilities together.

As well as structured lessons and small-group workshops, a range of memberships are available for local makers to get the most out of the top-of-the-range facilities.

The gallery space will allow makers to sell their pieces and will also help to spark ideas.

There will also be guest potters and artists running workshops and masterclasses, which is another key element of the friends’ vision for Townhouse Ceramics - they want people to learn different techniques and expand their horizons with the help of experts.

Contemporary ceramicist Carina Ciscato is already booked in to host a session in February while botanical artist Janie Pirie will be running Intro to Watercolours and Illuminated Letters classes in January and March respectively.

There will also be a special Valentine’s Day class when couples can give pottery a go and even recreate that famous scene from the 1990 movie Ghost starring Patrick Swayze and Demi Moore.

Townhouse Ceramics will be open Tuesday to Friday between 10am and 9pm, and from 10am to 6pm on Saturdays and Sundays.

To find out more about everything it has to offer and how you can become part of its inclusive creative community, go to https://townhouseceramics.co.uk, email info@townhouseceramics.co.uk or call 01279 912122.