MyCornwall Summer Art Guide 2020

Leach would begin his most renowned published work to date, A Potter’s Book. In 1938, David Leach returned to St Ives after studying pottery management, and rehauled the Leach Pottery for a new, modern age, bringing in electricity, machinery and oil to fire the kiln. When David was called to service in World War Two in 1941, Bernard Leach returned to run the pottery. In 1944, he officially divorced Muriel, marrying Laurie Cookes shortly after. The two went on to adopt an evacuee infant, Maurice, who Laurie had taken care of during the war. Leach would go on to extensively tour Scandinavia, the USA and Japan whilst David took over the reins of the St Ives pottery. During a USA tour in 1953 with Yanagi and Shoji Hamada, Leach was introduced to his would-be third wife, Janet Darnell, a young American potter. A year after their initial meeting, Janet and Leach became an item and returned to St Ives together in 1955 as sadly, Muriel had passed away. In 1956, Leach and Laurie divorced, and he married Janet. Leach continued to produce work until 1972, at which point he began to lose his eyesight. Even then, Leach continued his worldly travels and received several high honours from both Japan and England for his contributions to ceramics.

On May 6th 1979, Leach died at St Michael’s Hospital in Hayle following a heart attack in April, he was buried in Longstone Cemetery in Carbis Bay. Following Bernard’s death, Janet Leach redirected the pottery to focus on her own individual pots, bequeathing the pottery to Mary Redgrave in 199.

Redgrave continued to run the pottery until her own death, after which the pottery was sold to a private buyer before its eventual acquirement by Penwith District Council as part of the Leach Restoration Project, on completion the Leach Pottery was handed over to the Bernard Leach Trust, a registered charity set up to manage the Leach Pottery. Still a working pottery today, new ceramicists still teach, train and develop their skills under the Leach roof.

Leach Pottery’s exclusive 100 Year Limited Edition Range is currently being designed which will be launched later this year and will be available exclusively from the Leach Pottery. Libby Buckley, Leach Pottery Director, said, “Leach Pottery has always demonstrated resilience against an ever-changing backdrop, and has stood and survived the test of time, continually innovating and responding to challenges. And, in the determined spirit of our founders, this is how we continue to operate unabated. “As a result, we are celebrating Leach 100 in different capacities, and already we are seeing the opportunities to drive the awareness, impacts and involved numbers in some of our programme elements even further, which is extremely encouraging…”

For more detailed information about the Leach Pottery, Leach 100 or any of the above elements, please visit: www.leachpottery.com or email office@leachpottery.com.

Image credits: Image kindly provided by the Crafts Study Centre, University for the Creative Arts, BHL/7095. Copyright the British Travel & Holidays Association Photographic Unit, Queens Square 64-68, St James St. London