woodsetton art pottery
Rooted by materials, training and history to The Black Country village of the
same name for over thirty years, using clay and metal to make truly unique
pieces of use. At Woodsetton two generations and an upcoming third, have made
their livings as designer makers for over 50 years. David Bates, a furniture
designer and manufacture, and Gill Bates an antique dealer, later came together
to work with pewter. The Victorian house and workshops which housed their early
business was built by the Parkes family of Iron founders who were descendants of
Abraham Derby 1st, and so there has been a long line of metal working at this
address. For the latter 30 years Lorraine Bates has run a pottery here using
stoneware and metal to make pieces of use. The combination of these two
materials has an illustrious history in the Black Country in the shape of The
Ruskin Pottery who made stoneware in The Arts and Crafts tradition and ethos
which is still a strong influence on our work. Lorraine Bates and the team at
Woodsetton, now have a history of making for galleries, museums and exhibitions
in the UK, America, Japan and Europe.
