The potteries of Rye

Rye Arts Festival has had an interesting variety of talks. On Wednesday, September 21, at The George Hotel, Chris O’Donoghue gave a very illuminating talk about the history of the potteries of Rye. Chris was one of the original potters at Rye Pottery, making ceramic cottages that were sold all over the world.

He started by telling us why Rye had been so successful as a pottery town. Rye has a surprisingly long history of pottery-making going back to mediaeval times mostly because of a rich seam of clay on the edge of the town.

Chris showed lots of slides of different examples. Many people in the audience were keen pottery collectors and you could hear them saying “I have one of those!” including the highly collected Sussex Pig which has been made by Rye Pottery for over two hundred years. A charming and traditional wedding or anniversary gift from Sussex, this vessel was originally designed in two pieces as a jug (the body) and cup (the head), to toast the bride and groom at country weddings in the 1800s.

Chris told us that he made many of the original moulds for local potters which is a highly skilful art which is very intricate. He told us to look out for David Sharp’s house signs all over Rye, all very distinctive. David was an extremely talented sculptor and specialised in models of animals and left his mark on the town of Rye.

Energised by Chris’s talk I went looking for the plaques and found many and then visited Rye Pottery where I was lucky enough to meet Tabby, who runs it with her brother, Josh. They are the third generation of the family to do so.

I spent the next hour looking at the different designs which have become highly collectable items. In an age of mass-production, it is wonderful to see that Rye Pottery produces unique pieces, no two being exactly the same. Every piece of their pottery undergoes more than ten hand processes and two kiln firings. They make beautiful tiles which grace the homes of princes and prime ministers.

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Image Credits: Kt bruce .