'I get tingles' - Shropshire potter continuing 150 year old Ironbridge ceramics tradition with new workshop

Lucy Young started her new business, Lucy Young Ceramics, this year - and is set to mark her arrival at Maws Craft Centre in Jackfield with an open day in the workshop, where visitors will learn some of the secrets of a successful commercial pottery business.

The company makes a range of ceramic pottery including a range of special edition tankards supplied to breweries up and down the country, and is now set to branch out with a range of taster sessions and pottery courses at her workshop on the historic site of the former Maw & Co tile factory in Jackfield - once the largest tile factory in the world.

"I have to pinch myself thinking that I'm here and following in those footsteps a little bit," she said.

"Ironbridge in particular is absolutely beautiful and knowing about the history of this place, knowing that it was once a world famous tile factory, it gives me tingles.  Knowing about this place and getting the opportunity to come and work here, it all seemed to fall into place."

A former teacher with a degree in Fine Art from Winchester School of Art, Lucy is also continuing a family tradition, having learned the basics of pottery from her father as a young girl before deciding to change tack from working in education to become a full-time potter.

She decided to re-train in the commercial ceramics industry following the pandemic, eventually landing an apprenticeship with a family-owned pottery in the Cotswolds.

"My dad's always been a potter and from when I was little we'd have a pottery workshop where my dad would look after us and make pots at the same time. He used to make tankards for different pubs around the cotswold as well as for local Morris dancing clubs .

"I'd learned a lot from my dad but also wanted to retrain and do it full-time really.

"Luckily enough it came about that I got an apprenticeship at a pottery in the Cotswolds and really learned how to be a production potter day-in, day-out. 

"After about a year I felt I had enough skills to think about setting up my own business and I had to think about which avenue I was going to go down, the ceramic tankards kept popping up - I spoke to my dad and he said 'why not just try it?'. 

"I got in touch with some of the companies that he used to make ceramic tankards for and I started there. 

"I'm so pleased and with alot of hardwork, it's been going from strength to strength. I absolutely love it."

From there, Lucy built up a strong social media following via Instagram and having completed her first tankard order for a brewery in Devon, word-of-mouth spread quickly. She now has brewery clients from Cornwall to Sheffield.

Having found her feet commercially, Lucy is now set to open the doors with a community open day at the end of this month, where visitors will get a flavour of life behind a potters wheel, and the chance to book on to a series of taster-sessions and longer six-week courses for those who decide they want to give it a more serious try.

"The main focus is to get as many people in to enjoy using clay and to experience the thrills and challenges of using the pottery wheel," added Lucy. 

"The benefits are wide-ranging really, from just learning to focus on something other than the daily grind that we have to deal with and the idea of feeling really centred - it's a wonderful feeling and there's a real mindfulness to it.

"The doors are going to be open from 10, it'll be an opportunity for people to come and meet us and experience the process of what I do on a day-to-day basis. The main aim is for people to have a really nice pottery fun day.

"Spaces will be limited so come early to sign up to make sure you guarantee a spot. There'll also be another clay activity whereby you can make your own Lucy Young Ceramic keepsake which I will fire for you to collect at a later date."

The Open Day at Lucy Young Ceramics takes place on Saturday, March 28 at Unit D2, Maws Craft Centre, Jackfield, between 10am and 4pm.