Welcome to our third Autumn seasonal newsletter. In this edition you’ll be introduced to our first Potter in Residence, our new House Guardians and our new Artist in Residence.
For one month only… Rowena Hamilton in the Pottery Studio
Rowena is the first Potter in Residence at Bell House, spending August working in the studio. The studio was scheduled to be closed as all the teachers were taking their well deserved holidays and so the idea to offer it to a working potter was a winner.
Rowena successfully applied and was also given a bedroom in the house.
She was late to potting, having spent many years working in museums and galleries. But it was here that she became interested in pots of all shapes and sizes but particularly the older ones. She was fascinated by a theory about basket weave sometimes found on ancient pots. The theory goes that early potters learnt this by accident. Woven baskets were not waterproof, so were lined with clay. When a basket was thrown away in a fire they found in the embers clay pots with a basket weave. Basket weave is a decoration she now uses on some of her work.
Over covid and looking after her mother who had dementia, Rowena started to work with clay with her mother. They both found deep satisfaction working with the clay - moulding with their hands. And this was the start of her move to become a potter.
She graduated in 2024 from Clay College in Stoke. This college specialises in preserving the dying elements of traditional potting - both practical and technical skills teaching the traditional ways of working with clay not available at most other teaching institutions. As Rowena says - Clay College delivers “self-sufficient potters”. She now continues the tradition of functional pottery through her work making tableware.
Rowena has a ‘tiny’ studio with an electric kiln at her home and also works in another small studio where there is a collectively run wood kiln. So the Bell House studio - its size and functionality - has been a very special opportunity for her. She came with plans to “work on form, hand building and textures - to perfect shapes and techniques - not to be distracted by glazes - the pure process of potting is that you have to spend time on the form and then leave time for drying and firings”.
So what are her reflections on her time in Bell House?
In her first week she felt the big studio unblocked her - the physical space gave her head space. She has been surprised by how ‘wildly’ creative she felt - some of her ideas haven’t worked but they’re stored for future reference she says. She feels this wouldn’t have happened in her home studio. She felt very comfortable out of her comfort zone and it‘s given her the confidence to know she can work almost anywhere.
The studio has a huge window looking out into the Bell House gardens and Rowena has enjoyed chatting with the volunteer gardeners over a cuppa. She’s learnt from them and in particular about baskets (and has been told about a collection at Kew Gardens which she hopes to visit at some point). She’s also met Emma, one of the new Guardians who gave her the idea to make some small plant pots for seedlings. She has made some and what is even more helpful is that Rowena can use the pots to fill the spaces between larger pots in the kiln. Another win-win.
One of the less positive learning experiences was the impact of such a sunny spot for a studio. It has been very hot and she found hand building very difficult. To be successful you need to keep the clay moist and in such hot drying conditions this was very hard - but a learning experience nonetheless.
Rowena believes it is a privilege to eat and drink from handmade pottery and this is how she approaches her processes - so she is very mindful of her role in this.
Just to return to her covid experience with her mother. Her mother was a dentist and had worked in schools. She had a wonderful collection of teeth that she would show to the pupils - one in particular was a sperm whale’s tooth. These teeth have been fascinating to people over time - their size and shape - and Rowena decided to make a replica of one but to make it even more interesting to make it into a rattle. These rattles have now become a part of her collection - she makes egg shapes as well - she calls them ‘Fidget Toys’ - an object for handling and thinking - she doesn’t like to use the word ‘de-stresser’!
Photo above of Rowena in the Bell House garden with one of her sperm whale tooth fidget toys and some of her plates on a table drying in the sun and ready for their first firing.
To find out more about Rowena and to see her work and online shop visit:
rowenahamilton.works
Instagram: @row_hamilton
Facebook: Rowena Hamilton Pottery
Author and Photo: Sally Graham
Meet Emma and Ted - our new House Guardians
1. How did you become the Guardians for Bell House, and what does the role involve
Emma first got involved with Bell House as a garden volunteer, spending a year learning from the brilliant horticulturalists and garden designers Sarah H., Shelagh, 'Cookie' and others. It was one of the wonderful gardening volunteers, Sara, who informed Emma about the opportunity.
We’d also come across the former guardians at Kingswood Arts, where we’re involved on the Community Advisory Board, and we have mutual friends in common. After Jack and Laura moved to Manchester, we knew we had big shoes to fill: they were such pioneers of community life in this part of London!
The role itself is varied. It’s a mix of contributing to keeping the house safe and secure, pitching in with cleaning, supporting events and charitable activities, and generally being a friendly point of contact. No two weeks are ever quite the same, which keeps it exciting.
2. What drew you to becoming Guardians, and what do you hope to gain from your time here?
Two of the charity's pillars, mental health and neurodiversity, are really close to our hearts.
Emma’s late mother worked as a highly specialist speech and language therapist for the NHS, Ted works as a psychiatrist, and Emma now tutors with a particular focus on supporting students with SEN. It feels really meaningful to bring those threads into the work we do here.
We also feel strongly about supporting educators. Devastatingly, a friend ended their own life, shortly before Emma’s mother passed away, brought to the fore how incredibly important it is to support those on the frontline of education. Being here gives us a chance to contribute to wellbeing work that can make a difference for teachers and learners alike.
But we'd say the most immediate draw was community. We’ve always loved communal living — we previously shared a home with ten adults, and Emma spent nearly a decade abroad living in shared houses and co-operatives. It's equally an honour to share this role with Anna and Jarek, who have many years' experience of communal living.
3. What would you like your impact at Bell House to be?
Although it’s still early days, we’re eager to support and help develop the wellbeing activities at Bell House.
With the support of Cher and the events team, Emma’s starting a mindfulness series from mid-September with a much-loved local yoga teacher.
Recently she also ran a “Reset & Renew” workshop in the garden, blending mindfulness, yoga and sound healing; it was a joy to host alongside a local sound healer she’s long admired.
One dream is to fundraise for sound healing equipment, so we can offer free sound bath meditations at Bell House to mothers living with chronic illness in Southwark — something very close to Emma’s heart, in memory of her own mother.
On the education side, Ted is hoping to use his experience of working with young people with ADHD to set up an ADHD Advice Clinic to support local young people and families.
We also love welcoming the artists-in-residence, as well as the recent potters like Rowena and Andy. We're keen to support future residencies. It feels like such a privilege to share a home with them; they bring so much creativity, conversation, and inspiration, both to the wider community and to our own dinner table chats!
4. Could you tell us something unexpected about yourselves?
Between us, we speak eight languages and have lived in 14 countries. But maybe more surprising is that we’ve both spent over a decade practising martial arts! It’s had a significant influence on us: from how we approach breathwork to mental discipline, and even our shared interest in Eastern philosophies. Those lessons continue to shape the way we live, and the work we do today.
Author and Photo: Emma and Ted
Rosie Bayliss - our new Artist in Residence
1. How did you become the ‘Artist in Residence’ for Bell House?
I first heard about Bell House through a friend who runs workshops here. I visited for the open studios and later for the open gardens, and was struck by the generosity of the community and the outreach programming. After spending time in the space and meeting volunteers, I raised the idea of a residency with the board and it all came together.
2. Tell us a little about yourself and your ‘art journey’ so far.
I grew up in South London and later Brighton, where I completed my art foundation. I then studied Fine Art and Writing at the University of the West of England, a rare BA course that allowed me to explore both painting and writing. The tutors and technical staff were incredible. After graduating in 2022, I received the Dreamtime Fellowship, which gave me a studio and bursary at Spike Island, Bristol, for a year. My work, both written and visual, explores unlikely connections and unreliable narratives.
3. What do you hope to gain from your time here?
Being the Bell House artist in residence offers me the space and time to focus on my practice. I’m excited to create new work inspired by the house, gardens, and Dulwich Picture Gallery. I’m also excited to run workshops and contribute to making art more accessible, something I’m very passionate about.
4. Have you been asked to get involved with activities at Bell House—for example the Art Studio sessions or outreach projects? What would you like to bring to this side of things?
I’m running a fortnightly Saturday drawing class exploring different approaches to life drawing. It’s inspiring to see how people interpret the same guidance in unique ways, which reinforces the importance of art as self-expression. I’m going to start working with the Bell House Creative Health committee to expand outreach and bring workshops to specific communities.
5. Apart from your art, what else would you think we’d be interested in knowing about you?
I love reading and writing, especially about storytelling and how we create narratives to make sense of our lives. I enjoy conversations about people’s creative practices and am passionate about amplifying underrepresented voices. Outside of art, I also love cycling and a pub quiz!
Author and Photo: Rosie Bayliss