Pioneering Potteries: Studio Pottery Talk with Kirsty Hartsiotis

How a pottery movement took root around Winchcombe and the South West

Kirsty Hartsiotis traces the South West studio pottery story from Bernard Leach's St Ives pottery, founded in 1920, through Michael Cardew's work at Winchcombe and Katherine Pleydell-Bouverie in Oxfordshire. Later makers include Ray Finch, while Winchcombe Pottery's centenary in 2026 gives the local story a timely focus.

The talk also explores ceramics education in Bristol, Bath Academy and Swindon, and the regional pottery scene today. Hartsiotis is a Swindon Museums curator and Accredited Arts Society lecturer, and helped curate Beneath the Surface: A Century of Studio Ceramics in Britain, bringing a working curator's perspective to the subject.

Allow around 45 minutes to an hour in the Meeting Room next to the Art Gallery. The museum has step free access and accessible parking outside; the free main Stratford Park car park is about 260 metres away along a gently sloping tarmac path.

Refreshments are not included, although the mini cafe sells hot drinks and ticket holders receive a hot-drink discount before or after the talk. It is a manageable morning visit for anyone who wants to connect familiar local pottery names with the wider movement.

Ticketed. Booking required through the Museum in the Park.

Friday 20 November 2026 · The Museum in the Park, Stratford Park, Stratford Road, Stroud, Gloucestershire GL5 4AF · Starts 10.30am