"The kiln fire has almost burnt out and we start to extract the still hot pots. This is the most exciting part of the whole project. Has the firing been successful?"

The joy of authentic prehistoric pottery is that nothing was ‘perfect’. What may at first appear to be faults and oddities to our modern eyes are an intrinsic part of the character of the piece and enhance its interest. Each item is truly unique. Even if two pots start out the same they change in the firing. Colour and texture comes from chance contacts in the fire and different temperatures.

These 'Fire and Clay' pots form part of an ongoing research project into prehistoric techniques. Our aim is to re-discover some of the ancient techniques of pottery manufacture and thus throw light on the distant past of ceramic art and culture. When you purchase one of these 'Neolithic', 'Bronze Age' or 'Roman' pots not only will you own a unique item, you also assist in our research.

We work in sympathy with prehistoric ethics using the tools of the time such as flint knives, plaited cord, bone impressions and pebbles for burnishing. The clay is dug by hand then tempered with grits, grogs and shells. The firing takes place out of doors using wood and natural fuels to build a simple kiln. We hope you will enjoy the results.

Here Andrew is working on a wooden kick wheel, powered by a very heavy wooden flywheel rotating on a quartz stone selected from a beach and lubricated with animal fat. He is working with local clay, which had been dug in the early hours of the morning so that it remained workable.

Andrew's Fire and Clay project has introduced him to a number of talented crafts people who are following the same ethic of using period technology and materials to recreate the art and crafts of different archaeological periods. You will find some of their 'experimental archaeology' work for sale on this site.

These pictures show a smiths' shop producing weapons and jewelery, constructed at the Mine How Know How event in Orkney (2002) which featured a number of crafts people recreating the ancient technologies and methods.

We have a stock of flint knives and Baltic Amber goods created in keeping with the ethics of experimental archaeology.

See also:
Now and Then Notes and Letters
Applepot Blog
Making a Pot
Articles by Andrew Appleby
Le Tourriol self catering farmhouse