A Steel Job for Famous Pottery Studio

The newly resurected Leach Pottery, dedicated to the memory of the famous artist, chooses state of the art stainless steel sinks for new studio.

The Leach Pottery in St Ives, established by the Bernard Leach, and Shoji Hamada in 1920, two of the great artists of the 20^th century was reopened in March 2008 as a capital project, costing £1.7 million. The restoration project was designed to preserve and celebrate the life, work, influences and legacy of Bernard Leach as well as provide a new generation of potters a base from which to work and flourish.

One of the major factors when creating a modern studio like this one, is what sinks to install- in a busy ceramic studio, making a mess is par of the course so you need to make sure you have the best possible equipment to make cleaning quick and easy. The Leach Pottery decided to install advanced stainless steel freestanding sink tops and gypsum separators from GEC Anderson, that capture clay and plaster typically suspended in the waste water. Without this technology the clay and plaster could easily obstruct drains and cause extensive damage both to the drainage system and to the productivity of the studio.

The company installed four GEC Anderson stainless steel freestanding sink and

drainer units (selected from the Decimetric® range). The sinks capture all clay and plaster waste and a quick release system allows for easy disposal.

Gavin Woodford of GHK Architects says, “We worked closely with the client, ensuring that full operation of the pottery was restored and that we provided training facilities that reflect the Leach ethos”.

Jack Doherty paid testament to the GEC Anderson stainless steel products, commenting, "Our ceramics studio is a busy environment with high demands placed on all equipment. The freestanding stainless steel sink tops and plaster traps allow us to clean tools and dispose of waste in a simple and efficient manner. At the end of the day all four units clean up ready for another day’s hard use and they look like they will continue to do so for years to come".

The Leach Pottery is also hoping to win the prestigious national lottery heritage award for their restoration of the pottery; a prize that could also win them £2000 that could be used for further investment in potters of the future.