The exhibition, consisting of over 100 pieces, starts Sunday, 11th October, at noon. Full exhibition details will be found online here at that point along with links to our digital catalogue which will also be sent to all those who request one.
Viewings by appointment in St Helier: Sunday 11th – Sunday 18th October
Book a private viewing by calling Charles on 07829 722897
Jersey Pottery was founded in 1946 by brothers Charles & Edward Potter (apt name!), who saw an opportunity to produce and export decorative pottery during postwar austerity, as the Channel Islands weren’t included in the British austerity rules.
Despite initial successes, the company began to falter and was bought by Clive & Jessie Jones in 1954. With their daughter Carol, they revived and pushed it forwards, producing fashionable ceramics for export and for sale to tourists. Some were inspired by Italian ‘Alla Moda’ ceramics of the time but many others moved towards their primarily brown and green palette of the 1970s onwards with themes inspired by stylised natural forms, typically executed in a ‘ribbon’ pattern. Popular, these patterns endured for decades.
Over a million tourists visited the pottery during its 1980s heyday. During the 1960s, over 100 tons of raw material was used per year, and the company also had a modern retail shop on the corner of Bond Street and Mulcaster St in St Helier.
After production was moved to England from 2000-12, and production at Gorey in Jersey was stopped, the pottery saw many challenges, finally closing as a victim of the pandemic and due to external competitors in 2020. Their related restaurant business continues to thrive.
