Goodbye to the Pottery cottage – the end of an era

I’m so very sad to say that the Pottery Cottage has finally closed down forever.

Happy clutter around the kiln

It was a truly special place and I will so miss the community that flourished within those walls and the creative energy of those people who took the trouble to find a scruffy little shed tucked away in a dingy corner of the University campus.

People made such creative, individual and beautiful work.

I have been so lucky to have access to such an incredible resource for so long, and to have had the privilige to make so many good friends there.

I can’t even begin to express how much I will miss it, and all those fantastic people!

Sit quietly and you might see a kingfisher flash by

9 Responses to Goodbye to the Pottery cottage – the end of an era

  1. Dee Arnold says:

    Hello Bridget, my lovely inspirational tutor, I’m so sorry the Pottery Cottage has closed. I know it had a very special place
    in your heart. It was great when you took the A level pottery
    class at the Potter Cottage. As you know, I loved Raku firing,so unpredictable and the exciting results.Not to forget the
    Jacket Potatoes, salads and cakes. really happy memories.
    every good wish for your future venture

    Luv Dee xx

  2. Jon Williams says:

    Bridget and the Pottery Cottage in Loughborough were an essential stepping-stone in my own professional development. Her impressive track record of teaching, coupled with the community group of professional makers and enthusiasts she established, are testament to her ability.

    The closure of The Pottery Cottage has left not only a community group without a venue, but has meant the loss of facilities for the teaching and practice of ceramics, which despite it’s vast creative potential, remains largely inaccessible in terms of service provision in schools and the larger community.

  3. Keri, Caleb & Jonah says:

    We only started coming to the Pottery Cottage in May but we all had such fun. Caleb (age 5) created a bridge for his train track, a giraffe with a hat, a pot for his paintbrushes and so much more. Jonah (age 2) had lots of fun making a great big mess, some of which we managed to fire and paint! We are so looking forward to making more mess when classes start again soon. I’m sure that the happy atmosphere was 99% Bridget and 1% cottage, so we’ll have loads of fun with you where ever you end up.

    Looking forward to seeing you soon
    Keri, Caleb and Jonah x

  4. Lynda Rowe says:

    Dear Bridget
    Just wanted to say thank you for the great sessions you did with my girls Helen and Martha, we werent’ able to continue like some people did, but the girls had a lovely creative time at the sessions they attended, and given the time would have loved to have done more.
    May we wish you all the best in the next of your ventures and may you find the community and creative energies that abounded at the cottage.

    Lynda

  5. Ahhhh, the end of an era indeed!!!
    Can’t believe it’s finally closed. So many happy times and happy people within a crumbling old cottage πŸ™‚
    I actually started my business from sculptures made in there
    And Bridget, the best of teachers, best of tea makers and best of mates!
    Best of luck and continued success for your future bridget.
    Gonna miss you old pottery cottage!

  6. Drew & Brady Hancock (aged 9 & 7) says:

    Dear Bridget

    We are so sad to hear that the pottery cottage as now closed :0(. We loved going there, it was like a differant universe where we could just relax & create what ever our imaginations let us. We loved listerning to your stories, especially the one about the squirel hehe. You were very kind, helpful & patient to us when we wanted to learn how to do something, especially when we knew what we wanted to do but didn’t know how to achieve it. Thankyou so much for sharing this fantastic cottage with us & making us feel welcome. We can’t wait to visit you in your new place & start a new adventure with you even though Mum says we are running out of shelving for our creations hehe.

    We hope you are as happy in your new place as you were in the cottage!
    We can’t wait to see you in a couple of weeks.

    Love from
    Drew & Brady xxxx

  7. Chiara says:

    HELLLOOOOWWWWWWW MY LOVELIEST OF ALL!! Aww, so sad to know that the Pottery Cottage has closed down!
    It was a brilliant place to meet like-minded artists and old & new friends! I wish I had spent more time in there, now! POOP!!! (am I allowed to say poop in public??) Well, you might be leaving those stone walls behind, but you’ll take with you a whole bunch of memories! Prettyful BridgyBridge, you’re great!!!
    luv luv, your Chiara!!
    πŸ˜€ xxx
    (Ps: could do with some more of those “glazed potatoes” roasted on top of the kiln!!)

  8. Ian Parsons says:

    It’s a shame to see the old pot cot go, lots of happy memories attached to that crumbly old cottage! but they say that when one door closes another opens, so lets look forward to finding out how amazing the next chapter will be!

    • Nige Cunningham says:

      You have inspired so many people who would not have made pots otherwise, to explore using clay, so thank you for that. I have met friends from all sorts of walks of life that I would not otherwise have come across, including some from abroad and one of these will be a life-long friend. I so enjoyed my time at the ‘pot-cot’ and look forward to your next venture.