In this digital age of anxiety-inducing holiday snaps, swipes, likes, matches and ghosting, more and more people are turning to pottery classes to reconnect to something more tangible by learning the 10,000-year-old craft.
Although, fair warning – pottery can involve a bit of ghosting too.
To put this list together, we’ve been busy rolling around in more mud than a wet Glastonbury in order to narrow down the best pottery classes London has to offer. We’ve broken them down into the different areas you might want to try, and we’ve included the price of a taster class…
…so that you don’t get mugged off.
THE BEST POTTERY CLASSES FOR THROWING
Jess Jos | Stepney Green
Based out of a studio on Stepney City Farm, Jess Jos specialises in throwing tableware. She runs throwing classes for novices, right up to fellow professionals. Her bespoke tableware courses are aimed at making a specific end-product and include cups and bowls; plates; mugs; tea & coffee pots; and moon jars.
Classes are limited to eight people, and you’ll all get to sit at your own wheel, so you’ll be making the most of your time. There’s also the option to book a private class for more one-to-one time, or if you want to bring a group along with you.
If once a week isn’t enough and you prefer to get stuck in, Jess also runs intensive weekends that cover the basics of throwing, making different shapes on the wheel; and using different clays.
Taster session: £60 for a two-hour introduction, plus your best two pots will get fired, glazed & sent to you a few weeks later. The Beginners Weekend (£255) offers two days of intensive pottery action and you’ll leave with eight glazed pots (or more, if you want to drop another tenner, and somehow manage to make more than eight serviceable pieces of pottery).
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Izzy Letty | Deptford
You can attempt to recreate some of the beautiful pieces Izzy Letty crafts for her online shop by joining her for a masterclass in her Deptford studio. She only offers private classes (for up to two people at a time) which ensures you get plenty of individual guidance and assistance. She’ll help to make sure you’re on track at each stage of the throwing process, so your inevitable beginner’s mistakes don’t keep piling up, and you’ll actually go home with pieces that you’ll want to show off to your friends.
Taster session: The studio’s cosy size means there are no group classes, so you’ll just have to jump in and commit to a two hour private session (£150/190 for 2 people). However you’ll probably get as much out of it as a three-week group class.
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Crown Works | Bethnal Green
Timothy Soar
Crown Works is run by Giulietta Hextall, who trained under master potter Steve Sheridan. The studio has 21 resident potters who work there full-time and also teach throwing classes for beginners and intermediate potters. Classes range from two-hour tasters to workshops running over 1-3 days, to longer weekly courses. There’s also the opportunity to come in and practise without a tutor, just to get a better feel for the method once you’ve learnt the basics.
It’s one of the best studios specifically set up for pottery classes, with throwing wheels arranged sociably around a communal table so you can chat to a friend, date or fellow potter while you work. They also run intensive one and two day courses over the weekend as well as a five-evenings-in-one-week course, if you’re too impatient for your next class to come around.
Taster session (£60): Going through the basics of throwing over two hours, and if you’d like to keep anything you’ve made it’s an additional £10 per piece.
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Kiln Rooms | Peckham & Farringdon
Led by director Stuart Carey, Kiln Rooms has a Farringdon studio and three spaces in Peckham – one for its classes, a studio space for members with communal equipment and technical support; and a professional studio available to rent (once you’ve become a pro). All of the staff have trained under artist/potter and former chair of the Craft Potters Association, Richard Phethean. The studio also runs 10 and 12 week courses, as well as one of the most thorough pottery taster classes in London.
Taster session (£110): Pricier than most others, but for a reason – you’ll get a 4.5 hour workshop covering throwing and hand-building, as well as a detailed look at glazing and other decorative techniques. Plus, you’ll get three or four pieces fired for no extra cost.
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Columbia Road Clay | Shoreditch
Sitting on the charmingly traditional Columbia Road, this pottery studio offers 4 and 8-week throwing courses as well as taster workshops and private sessions for anyone wanting an expert eye on their work. They’re also committed to giving back to the local community, with free pottery classes on offer to foster inclusivity and accessibility.
Taster session (£60/75 inc. pot to take home): With multiple 2-hour sessions held every weekend, these taster classes offer a solid intro to throwing – and with a max class size of four you can depend on plenty of attention.
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Clover Lee | South Wimbledon
Clover Lee was a finalist on series two of The Great British Throw Down (pottery’s answer to Bake Off), having started out taking a taster class in 2010. She now runs pottery classes out of her studio in South Wimbledon and likes to use alternative firing methods like raku (taking the ceramic out of the kiln while it’s still red hot) and pit-firing (over an open fire). Alongside taster sessions she runs three, eight and ten-week courses for a thorough introduction to throwing.
Taster session (£75): A two-hour session that goes through clay preparation and throwing on the wheel. Your three best pieces can be taken home.
THE BEST POTTERY CLASSES FOR HAND BUILDING
Clapham Pottery | Clapham
The North Street Potters have supplied bespoke crockery to Le Gavroche, Perilla and The Ned over the years, so you know you’re in good hands at their pottery classes in Clapham. Held in a converted chapel, lessons run the gamut of 10-week courses for beginners through to advanced potters, as well as relaxed taster sessions on Sundays.
Taster session (£78): Three hour sessions introducing you to throwing and hand-building techniques like coiling and slab building.
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SkandiHus | Hackney, Walthamstow, (Dalston – temporarily closed)
Justin De Souza
SkandiHus was created by Danish lawyer-turned-ceramicist Stine Dulong, whose Scandinavian designs have been snapped up by Nigella Lawson and Yotam Ottolenghi. Her growing pottery empire now has three studios across London, each of which run 6, 8 and 12-week courses covering both throwing and hand building techniques, as well as three hour drop-in sessions for potters who want to practise without the need for a tutor. And the mixed glazes so favoured by chef royalty are also available for us mere mortals to dress our products in, upon completion.
Taster session (£45): An introductory 2.5 hour session dedicated to the hand building technique of pinching. At the end of the workshop you can choose one piece to get fired and glazed. They also have wheel throwing taster sessions for £90.
THE BEST OPEN ACCESS POTTERY STUDIOS
Turning Earth | Highgate, Tottenham, Hoxton, Leyton
Turning Earth was the first ceramics studio in London to follow the American model of open access spaces – a membership scheme that offers flexible access to their facilities and equipment. It’s proved so popular in E2 that they’ve since opened three more studios across north and east London.
Open access studios are for you if you already have a little bit of experience and want to try your hand at your own creations. Turning Earth does still run pottery courses, though: 6, 8 and 12-week options are available which walk you through the entirety of making your first piece – from preparing the clay to glazing it, covering various essential techniques along the way.
Taster sessions (£75): You’ll get an introduction to the basics of throwing, with plenty of time to have a go at a few different pieces over the three-hour session. You’ll also get to choose one to be glazed & fired for collection later.
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Ceramics Studio Co-op | Deptford
This a purpose-built community workshop owned and run by the residents. They have studio spaces to rent and open access spaces for professionals and amateurs. They also run pottery classes by the term, which vary in price depending on the length and experience level. They’re also one of the few pottery studios in London to offer more specialised courses in glazing and kiln training. But for beginners, they cover all the basics of ceramic making, including pinching, coiling, slab building and throwing.
Taster session (£71.80): A two-and-a-half-hour session focussed on throwing. Any pots made will be fired and ready to collect in 2 weeks, but won’t be glazed.
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Parade Mews Pottery | Tulse Hill
Unsuspectingly (or perhaps this is exactly where you’d expect to find an independent pottery studio…) tucked down a quietly-located cobbled mews in South London, you’ll find this cheerful white-walled workshop, which, while also offering open access studios and the full range of classes for kids and adults alike, also puts on special sessions for hen-dos. These utilise the wonders of champagne to help unlock creativity, with pottery done either on the wheel or by hand, and they may or may not get messy. Five or so weeks later, you’re then able to return for your finished work.
Taster session: They don’t currently offer tasters here, but if you can club together enough friends who fancy having a go, the party rates work out pretty reasonably per person.
On a quest to become an artistic genius? Check out these other creative workshops in London…