winchcombe
In 1926 Michael Cardew rented the pottery buildings and bottle kiln, with the help of two locals, Elijah Comfort aged 63 and the chief thrower from before the closure and Sydney Tustin nearly 14, set about restarting the pottery.
Cardew’s ambition was to make pottery for everyday use and at a price that ordinary people could afford and after a couple of years hard work and expermentation production had begun alongside Comfort’s farmhouse ware. Using the clay on site and firing the pots in the bottle
kiln the range and skills quickly developed and in 1935 Charlie Tustin joined the team followed in 1936 by Ray Finch. Three years later Cardew left to set up Wenford Bridge leaving Finch to run Winchcombe Pottery.
