The Pottery made at Hampstead was traditional type Slipware & Tin Glazed Majolica fired to a temperature of 1100 degrees centigrade in an electric kiln. Traditional Slipware originated, in England in the 14^th to 17^th century. The decoration is done with liquid clay slip, which is coloured with metallic oxides such as Iron, Manganese & Copper compounds, the colours are predominantly warm in tone.

Majolica’s are of European & Middle Eastern origins, starting life as an imitation of Porcelain, developing a unique style. They have painted colour decoration over a white base glaze, opacified with tin oxide.

Various Shops & Galleries in and around London were supplied with pottery between 1955 & 1962. The family moved to Mosterton near Beaminster in Dorset in 1962.

In 1963 the first of many students and apprentices arrived from around the world at the Pottery in Dorset, some stayed for a year or two, and others for period up to seven years, they now have their own workshops in many parts of the world. David worked with students and apprentices between 1962 and 1975.

Earthenware production continued, but new techniques of Stoneware and Porcelain were introduced in 1963, when the first high temperature Kiln was built. It was a single chamber down drought oil fired Kiln of approximately one hundred and fifty cubic feet capacity.

David and Patricia’s oldest son Benjamin started work with his farther in 1975. Simon their second son joined them in 1979, followed by Caroline in 1980. Caroline, now married and living in Bristol, makes earthenware which is on sale in our showrooms and specific Exhibitions. In 1980 Benjamin spent a year in Australia working with several of the original apprentices who trained at Mosterton with David.

In 1990 the Partnership between David and Patricia was joined by their sons Benjamin and Simon. They now work together under the title of The Eeles Family Pottery. Many production techniques are used, a wide range of functional pots are made, each piece conceived separately and takes considerably time to complete. Throwing on the potters wheel is the principle method, hand building is also used. Nowadays, Stoneware and Porcelain are the main products. Our Stoneware has a plastic clay body comprised of Ball Clay from Wareham in Dorset, China Clay from Newton Abbot in Devon, and fine iron bearing sand from near Chard in Somerset. Our Porcelain clay body is made from China Clay, Feldspars from Sweden, and fine white silica.

All the Stoneware clay bodies are prepared in the traditional manner. The clay arrives as dug, in lump form, when dry we slake down these materials in water, it is then mixed in a blunger into a creamy slip solution. Sieved to remove any foreign matter, and pumped into drying troughs, to slowly dry to a plastic state, this take about eight weeks. When ready for use it is put through a pugging machine which mixes the clay to a uniform state. This machine is also used for producing a variety of shapes through die plates, such as handles, and sections of pots that cannot be thrown on the potters wheel. The Porcelain clays are prepared from dry materials, some are coloured in separate batches with metallic oxides such as Chrome (green), Copper (red), Iron (brown), Cobalt (blue), Rutile (gold). Then into a large Ball Mill with water and are ground sufficiently to integrate the materials, decanted and dried to the plastic state, these are used to produce the Marbled Porcelain Ware. The main difference between Stoneware and Porcelain is one of opacity in Stoneware and translucence in Porcelain which has a more glass like structure. After making the ware on the Potters wheel many different decorative techniques are used. Coloured liquid clays are applied at the cheese hard stage, by dipping, pouring and brushing, these give a wide range of ground colour.

After this when dry, the pots are fired to 960 degrees centigrade, in an electric kiln, to facilitate the application of glazes and decoration. Many designs are applied using paper cut, wax resist, glaze trailed, brushed, sprayed, dipped and poured to obtain the desired result. The decoration and patterns come from many sources, landscape in its many moods, animal, floral, and abstract, plus simple fire induced patterns and colours. Notable techniques have developed through necessity, certain parts of wood fired kiln having varying amounts of glass deposits from the wood that is used. This tends to considerably lower the surface temperature of glazes in these localities, and can cause normally stable glazes to run dramatically.

In 1975 a much larger climbing Dragon Kiln was built, so called because of its appearance at night, when it has licking flames protruding from the top, gives the appearance of a recumbent Dragon. This was constructed with the assistance of his son Benjamin, consisting of three climbing chambers, of approximately four hundred and fifty cubic feet capacity, it holds about three to four thousand pieces of work, and is fired every six months.

About six tons of Larchwood offcuts, with a high calorific value and long flame path, are used to reach a temperature of about 1250 degrees centigrade. This takes a period of thirty-three hours of continuous stoking to completion. One of the joys of firing with wood is the natural glaze flashing that develops on all the surfaces of the ware. Each piece of wood, which is about three feet long, gives an immediate boost in temperature, and is consumed under two minutes. Some of the pots are left unglazed apart from the decoration which is painted or trailed on with glaze and colours.

Wide expanses of raw clay take on a rich toasted colour where the flame encircles the pot. Deposited fusible salts on the surface of each piece, making a strong contrast with the cool Blue Chun Glazes. All the glazes are prepared from basic raw materials such as Granite, Basalt, Limestone and Silica, mostly from the West of England. Some are simplicity itself, others are quite complex in nature. Unusual materials are constructed into fritted glass, ground and refined to enable them to be used. New ventures are the production of Raku, which comprises low fired earthenware, and bright coloured smoked ware, including lustre glazes.

Most of the Eeles family Pottery production is displayed and sold within an Exhibition format, at many different venues throughout Great Britain.