Bell House Pottery - The First Year - A Volunteer’s View

It’s August. The first year of the pottery’s life is completed, and it is closed and quiet for a month whilst tutors have a well-earned rest.  

I say ‘quiet’ but I doubt it has been quiet at all. There is always something going on at the pottery - work never seems to stop. I’m sure tutors are, in fact, getting ready for September, and I see that a lovely new forecourt has been installed since classes stopped for the summer.

I started as a volunteer before the building of the studio was even completed so I have seen it transformed from a roofless structure to the beautiful, airy space it has become. There are further developments to look forward to all the time, such as new garden planting nearby and outdoor seating to enjoy in the future months.

My role, which I fell into almost by accident, has turned out to be interesting and rewarding. Becoming part of the Bell House Pottery Committee has meant working with a talented and committed group which believes in the importance and value of individual creativity, and in providing opportunities for people to be involved in a practical and personal way. Through the bursary places and the ‘Let’s clay together’ programme there are free or low-cost courses available to people in the community who could not otherwise afford it. I have found the effort and commitment of those who envisaged the project and are now leading it, very impressive.

The tasks I have helped with might sound mundane in some ways: taking minutes at the monthly planning meetings; putting forward a volunteer’s point of view; being an extra adult helper at some classes; helping in practical ways or at open events. However the volunteer role has given me the opportunity to think about things new to me, and to meet an entirely new set of people. I’ve even enjoyed mopping the floors after a few particularly messy courses, thanks to the friendly conversations with tutors and participants while clearing up is going on.  As a former teacher, I’ve particularly liked seeing young people having great fun while trying a new skill which is not available in every school. 

Highlights of the year for me have been the opening of the pottery studio itself, the enthusiasm of people for the place and the courses, the hundreds of visitors during Dulwich Open House, and the Christmas events and party. 

I’ve also sampled some of the courses myself. First a two hour taster session, which many people reading this will have tried. I went along with two friends. There was much laughter at the time and even more when we collected our pots - they were tiny - but at least they looked as if they were intended to be pots!

Then I tried two evening sessions involving using slip and decoration techniques. I managed to make some small but passable pots. I began to think that some of my mother’s genes had been passed down to me. Pottery was her hobby and consequently I never thought to try it out. Encouraged by my first ‘magnificent’ pieces, I booked taster sessions for my family as a Christmas present. However they wanted me to come too. We all know the expression “Pride comes before a fall”.  My nephew seemed naturally talented and threw several successful pieces first time. I could not produce a single pot that day! They would all have gone into Brymer Jones’ reject bucket, so I saved him the trouble and threw them in myself. But it was a great Christmas present for us all to enjoy together.

After such dismal failure will I go back again?

Even as a beginner, there is something absorbing, fascinating and even therapeutic in the process of handling clay. Sometimes the pots seem to want to build themselves, it feels natural, but that day the clay seemed to resist my efforts to create anything at all recognisable, except a mess.

I have to go back to face the challenge.

I want two vaguely similar soup bowls by the end of this year.

Jacqui Pick, Aug 2024

Pottery Progress

The pottery is finally beginning to take on its true identity and atmosphere. The building is nearing completion, with windows now giving an open view of the gardens, and internal fixtures and fittings making it more recognisable as a studio. In case you missed it, our video telling the ‘Inside story’ of the pottery, in which I interview Ed Burgess, the architect, about his design, is still available on YouTube.

For those involved in setting up the courses, deliveries of equipment and materials over the next few weeks are adding to the excitement and anticipation of opening the facility and welcoming the first students.

August will be a month for fundraising to pay for some essential equipment such as the kiln, wheels and pug mill.  If you have expressed an interest in supporting the pottery in any way, whether as a volunteer or by making a donation, please click on the following link to be taken directly to our crowdfunding page.

On the practical side of things, we are delighted that a technician has been appointed to help with the smooth running of the courses.  Birgit, one of the tutors, has been doing an amazing job, leading on the practical development of the pottery. Among her many organisational tasks and despite all the work involved preparing for her own shows up and down the country, she is busy making plaster batts for future students to use!

The pottery wheels and other equipment will be arriving at the end of August in good time for the pottery opening. The first courses will start on 19 September. In fact, plans are being developed as far ahead as Christmas, when we hope to join in the usual Dulwich Village festivities with a Bell House Pottery stall. There will also be some whole day masterclasses for more experienced potters. Watch this page to keep up to date with the new courses as they are finalised: www.bellhouse.co.uk/pottery

If you are still thinking about joining in with this new venture there are some spaces, particularly on afternoon sessions in the Autumn. Courses are also now available to book through to the end of November.

In the meantime, if you have already signed up for a class in September, a holiday is a great opportunity to find some inspiration for patterns and designs in objects and nature around you, as demonstrated in the design below- product of a holiday in Cornwall.

Pottery inspired screen print by Jim Belbin

The next news update will be the last before the opening. Time flies.

Jacqui Pick - Volunteer

August 2023