Behind the Kiln: How Our Ceramics Are Made
A visit to the Cotswolds studio where every bowl, vase, and platter is thrown, glazed, and fired by hand.
The studio sits at the end of a gravel track, surrounded by bare winter hedgerows and the particular silence of the English countryside. Inside, the air is warm and thick with the mineral smell of wet clay.
This is where James Oakley has been making ceramics for fifteen years. His pieces — the bowls, platters, and vases that form the core of our tableware collection — begin as unassuming lumps of stoneware clay, sourced from a quarry in Devon.
"Every piece starts on the wheel," he explains, centering a fresh lump with practiced ease. "I could use moulds — it would be faster, more consistent. But you lose something. The slight variation in thickness, the way the clay remembers your hands — that's what gives each piece its character."
The throwing process takes between five and twenty minutes per piece, depending on size and complexity. A simple bowl might take five minutes. A large platter, with its wide, flat base that requires careful compression to prevent warping, takes considerably longer.
After throwing, each piece is left to dry slowly — too fast and the clay cracks. This takes between one and three days, depending on humidity. Then comes the first firing, known as the bisque fire, which hardens the clay but leaves it porous enough to absorb glaze.
Glazing is where Oakley's work becomes truly distinctive. His palette — those soft, chalky tones of stone, sage, and cream — comes from glazes he has developed over years of experimentation. The recipes are closely guarded.