In February 2025 we wrote about how wonderful it would be to get the bottle kiln outside the Burton fired up again. The kiln was a millennium project, designed to celebrate Bideford’s ceramic heritage, and firings took place regularly till about 2013. Since then, it has lain empty and rather abandoned but now the tradition is to be revived in celebration of the Burton’s 75^th anniversary.

Twenty invited potters will have work fired in the kiln, which will be lit on 28 October from 4-8pm. It will be a rare opportunity for visitors and locals to see it in action and experience the drama of a traditional wood firing. It promises to be a dramatic sight as steam rises into the autumn sky. There will also be live music, a pizza van and drinks on offer in the galleries.

As part of the celebrations, the main galleries at The Burton will be turned into a ceramics studio designed by artists Joanne Masding and Sarah Silverwood. If you’ve ever wanted to get your hands dirty and play with clay or try a new technique, the Burton is offering workshops including tile-making and decorating, making a pottery mug or a dishy dish. There is even a session for children (8 to 12 years) to make a dinosaur. All pieces will be glazed and fired.

The idea is for people to connect with each other and with our ceramic heritage through hands on experience.

Bideford was a centre for pottery manufacture in the medieval period with kilns located along North Road, which was formerly known as Potters Lane. In the 17^th and 18^th centuries, it became a significant centre for pottery production, supplying pots across England, Ireland, Wales and North America. Bideford’s pottery heritage is central to the town’s identity, and North Devon is known as one of England’s most important locations for slipware – a style recognised for its warm glazes and intricate sgraffito designs scratched into white slip over red clay.

The Burton has one of the most significant ceramic collections in the South West with over 1,000 individual pieces. Thanks to a recent grant award, the collection is due to be moved early next year to a new bespoke gallery space on the ground floor of the building. This will improve public access and bring important works out of storage to tell the story of Bideford’s ceramic heritage and future.