Roly Curtis, who lived at the potteries all of his life, is pictured above as a young boy (aged 8) learning his trade from his dad, George.Īs mentioned above, due to the lack of demand for traditional terracotta pots, brought about by the introduction of plastic pots, Roly, upon leaving school initially perused a career as an industrial chemist. This 'feel develops over time, young potters often start out making in a certain manor but over time their skills and methods often a line the previous generation, annoying if you were certain, your way was better! Basic skills are demonstrated and then practised to develop your own 'feel'. The passing of skills between generations has always been a very hands-on affair, there really is no other way to learn. Although he still made pots and help fulfil orders into his 80's.
George Curtis continued to run the works until handing over to his son Roly, in 1975. That and some long-established customers such as Newby Hall who we have supplied since 1831. This wide spectrum of skill undoubtedly played a large role in enabling George to keep the pottery open through difficult times. George was equally adept at making large 60 lb garden planters and vast numbers of small plant pots at a tremendous speed (Ten 3" plant pots per minute). This documentary was shown on the BBC programme 'Omnibus' several times and clearly showed George's wide range of skills. After the introduction of plastic pots which decimated potteries across the country (with up 80% closing within a year), George was regarded as the last of the big ware throwers and his reputation was such that he was the subject of the BBC documentary 'Big Ware'. George Curtis who started working at Littlethorpe Potteries as a bench boy around 1912 and who subsequently married the then owner's daughter in 1932, managed the potteries before inheriting the works with his wife in 1939. The Curtis name has been associated with Littlethorpe potteries since 1912, the current proprietors of Littlethorpe Potteries are Mark and Ruth Curtis and Mark a third-generation potter is carrying on the family tradition of hand throwing traditional pottery.
0 kommentar(er)
