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My AccountHistory & Heritage
After more than 90 years in the clay business and with over 55 years in the service of the studio pottery and education communities Potclays has become one of the best known names in our market. Our family company is now in its fourth generation: Heritage is very important to us, and so is our place in the wider ceramics community.
Potclays Clays
Our premium-quality clay bodies have a worldwide reputation, especially our unrivalled panmilled clay blends which are manufactured using traditional machinery and a process unique within the industry. Did you know that our panmills have a sweet heritage? They were once used at Cadbury’s to grind the cocoa nibs for chocolate production. These unique machines were purchased by Potclays in the 1960’s, were slightly modified, and the rest—as they say—is history. Nowadays, our clay bodies are enjoyed around the world, as far afield as New Zealand. You can read more below about our production processes and watch our videos.
Potclays Kilns
We have been a specialist kiln manufacturer since the early 1980’s. We have a highly qualified and experienced team of engineers building top-quality kilns for hobby, educational and industrial use. These range in size from around 12 litres (0.4cu.ft) chamber capacity mini-kilns to truck kilns of over 2 cubic metres (70cu.ft) capacity. Many of these are custom-built to customers' requirements. For after sales support, we hold a comprehensive catalogue of spares and we manufacture our elements in-house.
Our Brands
Partner to some of the Biggest Names in the Industry
We are in the privileged position of being the only authorised importers into the UK for Shimpo & L&L Kilns. We also hold a number of other long-term distributorships including Mayco (Platinum Distributor), Amaco-Brent, Spectrum, Botz, North Star Equipment, Giffin Grip, GR Forms and Mudtools to name just a few. As of summer 2024, we are the offical authorised importer and distributor of the Cowley Double Drive Potter's Wheel for the Northern Hemisphere. We are committed to providing exceptional after-sales service for all our brands.
