Wetheriggs Pottery is a former pottery on the C3047 road, east of the hamlet of

Clifton Dykes Clifton is a small linear village and civil parish in Cumbria, England. Historically part of Westmorland, it lies south east of Penrith. Geography The civil parish of Clifton has its western boundary defined by the River Lowther, to the north ...

, in

Clifton, Cumbria Clifton is a small linear village and civil parish in Cumbria, England. Historically part of Westmorland, it lies south east of Penrith. Geography The civil parish of Clifton has its western boundary defined by the River Lowther, to the north ...

, southeast of Penrith in England. It opened in the mid 19th century providing farm and housewares for local consumption, later the business diversified into craft pottery. The property is

Grade II listed In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...

History

The pottery developed on a site belonging to the Brougham estate. Its beginnings can be traced to 1855 when local clay from

was used for the production of bricks, tiles and pipes. Production of pottery began in 1860 when John Schofield and Margaret Thorburn moved to the site from Stepney Bank Pottery in Newcastle. John Schofield died in 1917, and Margaret Thorburn in 1937. The pottery remained in the Schofield and Thorburn family's hands until 1973. It was given Ancient Monument status in 1973. Wetheriggs Pottery - geograph

The enterprise was provided with fuel (coal) via a siding from the Eden Valley railway line, when the railway closed in 1962 the pottery kiln fell out of use. The beehive kiln remains, as does a

blunger A blunger is a machine commonly used in the pottery industry for mixing slip, a mixture of clay and water. A blunger usually consists of a round or octagonal tank with a mixer. Clay is added to the water-filled blunger and then mixed into a slurr ...

for preparing suitable clay. The steam engine used to drive the pottery machinery was restored in the 1990s by

Fred Dibnah Frederick Travis Dibnah, (29 April 1938 – 6 November 2004) was an English steeplejack and television personality, with a keen interest in mechanical engineering, who described himself as a "backstreet mechanic". When Dibnah w ...

. Facilities built for visitors including a museum. Pottery making was revived at Wetheriggs, as the only remaining steam-powered pottery in the country. Mary Chappelhow became the master potter at Wetheriggs in 2003. Production has since ceased at the site, and Chappelhow moved her studio to

Brougham Hall Brougham Hall is located in the village of Brougham just outside Penrith, Cumbria, England. History The de Burgham family may have held land at Brougham in Edward the Confessor's time and were allowed to keep their position after the Norman Co ...

. From 2006 to 2014

Wetheriggs Zoo and Animal Sanctuary Wetheriggs Animal Rescue (previously called Wetheriggs Zoo and Animal Sanctuary) is a registered Charity Commission for England and Wales, UK charity. Wetheriggs is an international animal rescue centre now located on the A66 road, A66 just outside ...

operated on the site until it moved to another location. In 2016, a developer was seeking planning permission to reopen the site as a

holiday village A holiday village (also abbreviated HV) is a holiday resort where the visitors stay in villas. There is a central area with shops, entertainment, and other amenities. One example is Center Parcs Center Parcs may refer to: * Center Parcs UK and ...

. The application included: In 2020, Eden District Council approved a plan for conversion to a dwelling, granting "Listed Building Consent for the redevelopment of the beehive kiln, associated drying sheds, workshops and engine room to a dwelling and the demolition of adjoining buildings and structures".

History

See also

References

Further reading