Pottery
This page explains some of the pottery that Bill Crumbleholme is producing, inspired by his researches into ancient pottery.
A Soda Fired Beaker. This pot is inspired by the drinking vessels of the Bronze Age “Beaker Folk”, made popular by advances in brewing! They are often found in ritual burial deposits, accompanying the dead into the afterlife.
There are various types of beaker, this has a belly, waist and flared lip, giving a pleasing shape that is comfortable to hold.
This pot uses a fusion of potting methods of different eras, combining the attractive ancient shape and decoration with more practical modern firing technology. This pot was wheel thrown using coarse stoneware clay, but like the originals, a comb was pressed into the damp clay to decorate it with repetitive patterns of herringbones, zigzags, lozenges & triangles.
It was fired in a kiln into which sodium bicarbonate solution was sprayed to create the glaze, a technique similar to medieval salt glazing. The pot is suitable for cold or boiling drinks such as ale, mead, cocoa or infusions. It is dishwasher safe. It can also be used for ritual deposits such as pencils!
This beaker is similar to the one above, but has been glazed in an electric kiln with a Cornish Stone and Whiting glaze, stained with yellow iron oxide.
A bowl, inspired by the "Celtic" Iron Age shapes of Black Burnished Ware.
A feint crossing lattice decoration also harks back to that style.
This is thrown and fired in electric kiln with iron rich Cornish Stone glaze.
A particularly pleasing shape to handle and cook with.
This functional Cooking Pot is inspired by the shape and decoration of Bronze Age pottery.
The Collared top is a distinctive and pleasing shape for a versatile cooking pot. The Bronze Age style decoration uses rope impressed into the damp clay.
The modern kiln fired glaze is a simple blend of Cornish Stone and Chalk coloured with Iron Oxide. It is an attractive, smooth finish with interesting tonal shades; it is also hygienic and easy to clean.
The pot can be used to cook and serve food such as stews or fruit crumbles. It has thick walls which help to retain heat, so the food stays warmer on the table. It is ovenproof and dishwasher safe.
For storage, a cloth or animal skin cover can be tied over it – thus keeping the flies and rats off the food.
This functional bowl was inspired by the Celtic pottery of Dorset. This design classic is known as the Maiden Castle War Cemetery Bowl. They were found with the Warrior burials at that Hillfort, ritually filled with food for the afterlife. Bowls like these of local origin were prize possessions. The shapes were tried and tested, part of the local heritage, which archaeologists now use to identify cultural remains. The Iron Age pots were unglazed, with an attractive black burnished finish, sometimes with a lattice pattern round the outside. They are a useful size and shape, easy to handle and very versatile, as well as being pleasing on the eye. These modern versions are made for everyday domestic use; they have safe non-toxic glazes and are waterproof, ovenproof, microwave proof, and fully functional. They can be used for food preparation, cooking and serving for the living as well as the dead!
This is an Iron Age bowl, similar the one above, but finished by polishing the damp clay and subsequently smoking it in sawdust.
This jar was inspired by the Celtic Black Burnished Ware of Dorset. It was made during a reconstruction project at the Bestwall Quarries archaeological site, near Wareham in Dorset. Two of the Romano British kilns found at the site were rebuilt and fired, before being destroyed by gravel extraction. The site staff made pots under Bill’s guidance and he made a collection of near replicas. Visit this link to see more about the Bestwall project..
The Iron Age pots were unglazed, with an attractive black burnished finish, sometimes with a lattice pattern round the outside shoulder Pots like these were made for hundreds of years and were widely exported all over Britain and northern France.
A hand built collared urn, ready for firing (Sadly this one did not survive the bonfire).
Visit this page to see how this authentic style of pot is fired
Bill also makes a range of modern pottery, slightly less inspired by ancient wares, visit the Upwey Potters website to see more about them.