Bernard Leach - The Making of a Master - Part 2 - St. Ives

How did Bernard Leach turn a small pottery in St Ives into the centre of a new ceramics movement?

In the second episode of our three-part series, we follow Leach as he returns to Britain with Shōji Hamada and establishes the Leach Pottery in St Ives. We explore the challenges of those early years, the development of his distinctive approach to making, and the ideas that would eventually be captured in his influential A Potter’s Book.

As Leach’s reputation grows, so does his influence. Through teaching, writing and a new generation of apprentices, his pottery becomes a meeting place for ideas drawn from East and West.

This is the story of how Bernard Leach helped transform the status of the studio potter — and began building a movement that would reach far beyond St Ives.

To see images of the pots being discussed on this podcast, please switch to video in your podcasting apps.

Featured Artworks:

Bernard Leach 1913 early Raku Vase,   The V&A Collection

Photo of Bernard Leach with Shōji Hamada and Sōetsu Yanagi, 1952

St. Ives Harbour and Porthminster Beach - Cornwall – UK

Cornwall - St. Ives, Back Lane - 1920's Photochrom Postcard

The Leach Pottery, St. Ives, Cornwall

Blueprint of “The Leach Pottery Japanese Style of climbing Kiln. Design by Tsurunosuke Matsubayashi”, 1923. Crafts Study Centre, University for the Creative Arts