La Borne France, pottery village, a wood firers paradise - Carl Gray Ceramics

It is thought that pottery was first produced in La Borne in the 16th century and in the 18th and 19th centuries many of the village's inhabitants were in some way connected with the production of pots for domestic and farm use.  During the 1920s the ceramics industry in the area went into decline and by the end of the Second World War there were only a few potters left.

Unlike many other places around the world where the ceramics industry went into terminal decline La Borne kept ticking over and in the latter part of the 20th century more and more potters from France and further afield were drawn there.

Today, a wide range of work from traditional & functional to contemporary & sculptural is produced in La Borne by potters from all four corners of the world.  The unifying factor is that most of it is still fired with wood and made from the local clay.  The clay reacts wonderfully to long firings with wood, possibly due to it containing iron pyrites.

There is a museum in the old chapel which houses a fabulous collection of old pots and next door, in what was the local girls school, is the ceramics centre.  The day after we left the doors of the ceramics centre were due to close for the building to undergo a metamorphosis into workshops and demonstration areas.  Next to the old building a new building is currently being built which will house a permanent exhibition space for the potters of La Borne, kilns and other facilities.  Please note that neither building will reopen until the end of the first quarter of 2010 so if you are planning a trip to La Borne in the near future don't forget this.

This was my third visit to La Borne.  The previous two times were during the middle of the week in the morning when nothing seems to be open.  Saturday or Sunday afternoons are best if you want to visit La Borne for the ceramics.