Despite a busy world of Amazon orders, instant deliveries and quick-fixes, there are still some things that remain unchanged. In the tiny village of Ewenny, Bridgend, lies the oldest established pottery in Wales that has been in the same family for eight generations.
Run by Caitlin Jenkins from the eighth generation of the family and her dad Alun Jenkins - from the seventh, they are dedicated to making the pottery a long-lasting fixture of the community. And it feels like more than a business to them - when I spoke to Caitlin, it was clear that it was actually a way of life.
Caitlin was trained at Ewenny Pottery by her father Alun. She completed a ceramics degree course at the University of Wales Institute Cardiff in 1998. You can get more Bridgend news and other story updates straight to your inbox by subscribing to our newsletters here.
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She graduated with a Masters degree from the Royal College of Art in 2003 and has travelled lecturing and working in potteries, and has exhibited in the UK, Europe, USA and Japan. Growing up was a bit different for Caitlin, who got to hang out at the pottery most of the time when she wasn’t at school, and soak up all of the magic from an early age.
“To me, it was my normal. It’s only looking back you realise it was a bit different and I was lucky to have those experiences”, Caitlin told me, after I asked her what it all felt like.
And it’s not just Caitlin who picked up her enthusiasm for the craft by being amongst it all from an early age. After graduating in 1969 from Cardiff College of Art, having also studied ceramics, her father Alun returned to Ewenny to work with his own father, Thomas Arthur Jenkins and Uncle, David Jenkins.
Alun and his wife Jayne bought the business when his uncle retired in 1976, and a new workshop was built on the site of one of the old kilns. Alun and Jayne have continued to develop glazes and designs, still maintaining the look of Ewenny.
Caitlin said: “Of course, it has changed over the years like anything. But it will always have the same feel to it, and we have to adapt to make the most of the space.” But just how old is the pottery? Family folklore tells them that their ancestors have been throwing pots in the unique shop since 1610, yet, the earliest record of clay being used on this site is 1427.
Caitlin and Alun’s research is ongoing to get to the bottom of this, but they believe that if their records are accurate, they really could be the oldest pottery that exists in Wales.
They have a lifetime of memories there, and have had some interesting guests over the years. They've even had some royal recognition, with Caitlin able to present a Wassail bowl to the now-King of England back in 2013.
The process
But it’s not for the faint-hearted. Creating the perfect pot requires grit and lots of patience. At Ewenny Pottery, there are several stages a pot has to go through before it is complete.
Every piece of pottery is handmade by the father-daughter duo in the workshop. It is thrown on the wheel, handled and then left to dry for at least four days.
After that, it gets cleaned and the Ewenny Pottery signature is handwritten on the bottom of the pot. Once there are enough pots for a kiln, the pot is packed and fired to 1000 C. Electric kilns are used and it takes about two days from firing up, reaching temperature, to cooling. It’s only then that it is finally ready to be glazed.
Caitlin said: “I probably handle a pot at least 22 times before it’s finished. There aren’t many craft workshops that are open to the public, and we’re open six days a week, 51 weeks a year and people come and visit our pottery and see us work. They can ask the questions, and are always surprised at how involved we are in the process. I think it’s therapeutic to watch but you’re using an organic material so there’s a lot of technical aspects involved.”
Listening to Caitlin talk about the art of pottery making, her dedication to what she does really shone through. She also spoke with a sense of calm, that made me think must at least partly come from years of crafting, and a meticulous attention to detail.
The future
But it also made me wonder whether in such a fast-paced society, younger generations will get the opportunity to experience crafts like this, and if handmade pottery will survive the test of time in the years to come. “Is it something that can still be passed down now, or is it becoming less popular do you think?” I asked her.
“I think that there is a revival of the interest of craft and ceramics from the television programmes that are now available. So that is a positive thing", she explained. "I think what is important for me is to continue to make handmade pottery that people enjoy using. That is fundamental. Not only is the pottery my heritage, but it is a part of history for people who live here.
"We also make commission pieces that record local and social history. That's interesting in itself that an object can last hundreds and hundreds of years. There's not many places in the UK you can say that about and have a local pottery that is recording social history, which is another kind of discussion."
Current work
As well as offering people a glimpse into how they make their pottery, Caitlin and Alun also still offer commissions and bespoke designs for societies, private collectors, the hospitality industry, individual commemorative pieces. They even supply television and film production companies.
Caitlin said: “People ask for all kinds of things. It could be an 18th birthday or special occasion like that.
“The pots that we make develop over time, and each potter brings their own ideas and aesthetic to a pot, so over the years now that I’ve been working here I’ve been developing shapes. Some go well and some don’t, and we’ve always got to make sure that you’re able to use them because the ergonomics of a pot is very important as well as the overall design.”
You can find out more about the work at Ewenny Pottery and commissions by visiting their website here.
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