There is something really satisfying about seeing your finished pottery piece after it's fresh out of the kiln. Whether you're looking to create ceramics on the pottery wheel, looking to paint with pottery glazes, or wanting to learn the art of hand-building pottery, there will be pottery classes in Bristol that will help you create a masterpiece no matter your previous experience or skill.
You can find one-to-one pottery throwing classes for beginners, pottery taster sessions to try a bit of everything, professional pottery courses to develop existing skills, or you can find more casual clay dates where you can just get stuck into the joy of creation.
Pottery is a relaxing craft that does wonders for your wellbeing, and it can be taken as seriously or as casually as you like. You don't need to go into a pottery class knowing what you are going to create, you can let your imagination run wild because one of the beauties of pottery as a craft is that if you make a mistake it's really easy to start your project again!
The workshops below can be done by yourself as a way of learning a new skill, enjoyed as an unusual date night activity, or you can take your friends to a pottery class and treat it as a fun day out to make mucky memories.
You can find pottery classes across Bristol, and we've included classes in Fishponds, Bedminster, Stokes Croft, and more so that you can find a pottery class near you.
- Pottery introduction hand-building and wheel-throwing session in Fishponds
- Pottery and pints at The Coronation pub in Southville
- Pottery Handbuilding Character Workshop in Montpelier
- Make a mug and coaster pottery workshop in Bedminster
- 7-week Throwing course in Stokes Croft
- Ceramic Vase Pottery Workshop in Bedminster
- Private pottery wheel workshop for two in Bedminster
- Pot Head Workshop - Pottery & Plants in St Werburghs (BYOB)
- BYOB pottery and prosecco night in Stokes Croft
- Ceramic Mountain Mug Pottery Workshop in Bedminster
- Self-guided pottery session with Trylla's Clay Club in Bedminster
Here are the top 11 pottery classes in Bristol, from pottery at the pub with pints to 6-week pottery classes that will have you throwing like a professional.
Best pottery classes in Bristol
1. Pottery hand-building and wheel throwing session: Ridgeway Studios, Fishponds
Unsure of whether you'll prefer hand-building or throwing on the wheel? This crafty pottery session with Ridgeway Studios in Fishponds will give you a taste of both worlds and is perfect for your first pottery workshop.
This pottery evening in the northeast of Bristol (about 3 miles from the city centre) is led by the resident ceramics artists at Ridgeway Studios. You'll be supported by a team of passionate ceramicists that each specialise in a different area of clay work. You will learn how to throw on the wheel and will be guided as you create your first pot. This is an accessible pottery workshop that is perfect for first-timers! You will have loads of support from a number of friendly faces.
Whilst you are not on the wheel you'll be hand-building with stoneware clay. There are plenty of tools and forms available so that you can easily construct bowls, mugs, decorations, sculptures, dishes, and ornaments.
This workshop is ideal if you can't decide on which form of ceramics you want to discover, or if you just want to try them all!
🏺Pottery hand-building and wheel throwing session in Fishponds, £40 per person
2. Pottery and pints at The Coronation pub: 18 Dean Lane, BS3 1DD
Pot Heads at the Pub is a great choice for people wanting to do pottery in a more social and casual setting.
This pottery workshop is based at Southville favourite local The Coronation, which is known for its cheap prices, good roasts, friendly and relaxed dog-friendly atmosphere, and the two resident pub cats. A drink of your choice is included in the ticket price, and The Coronation stocks a wide variety of local brews, an eclectic gin collection, wines, cocktails, and non-alcoholic drinks.
Pot Heads are handmade ceramic beings that bring a bit of silly into the world. The idea was born when ceramics artist Tasha Bee was working at a pottery studio which supports individuals with learning difficulties and autism. She wanted everyone to benefit from the playful and relaxing nature of clay so she created a step-by-step process that could be mastered by anyone. Every Pot Head is uniquely different and reflects the nature and personality of the potter creating them, and they look incredible finished off with a plant of your choice supplied by Tasha.
No experience is needed for this workshop, Tasha will guide you step-by-step as you learn simple hand-building techniques. You'll then have the confidence to unleash your own creativity and create your own unique Pot Heads character.
You'll be able to take your Pot Head, a plant 'hairstyle' of choice, and a Pot Heads goody bag away on the day.
🏺Pottery and pints at The Coronation pub in Southville, £32 per person
3. Pottery Handbuilding Character Workshop: Bath Buildings, Montpelier
Looking for a pottery workshop that is a little different? This is a 3.5 hour workshop where you will design and create your own clay friend. You will use handbuilding and painted glaze decoration techniques to produce a small ornamental character entirely from your own imagination! Most commonly people chose cats with snacks but you can really do whatever you like.
You will be introduced to basics of character design and then shown how to turn your ideas into a 3D piece of art using various handbuilding techniques.
Pottery is an easy way to sculpt and build up a 3D form so you will see you ideas come to life quickly. Once your piece has taken shape you will have access to lots of tools that will help you refine and add surface texture. Finally you will decorate your creation using colourful underglazes to add the finishing touches. And voila! You have created your own piece of clay art in just a few hours!
🏺Pottery Handbuilding Character Workshop, £55 per person
4. Make a mug and coaster pottery workshop: Wild Clay Studios, Bedminster
If you are a tea or coffee drinker then this pottery workshop will definitely be your cup of tea (excuse the pun). This mug and coaster making workshop takes place at Wild Clay Studios on West St in Bedminster.
Refreshments such as teas and coffees are available to keep you fueled as you create your masterpiece and you'll have access to all the tools, templates, letters to emboss with, and support from artist and hand-built pottery ceramicist Jess from Made this Mess.
Everyone has a 'special' mug at home. You know the one. The one that everyone knows not to use, and the one that tea and coffee just doesn't taste right without. Well that mug is about to have a rude awakening; there's going to be a new mug in town and it's going to be hand-built by you. This workshop uses hand-building and slab techniques to create a mug and coaster that are then glazed and fired by Jess in order to make them food and dishwasher safe.
🏺Make a mug and coaster pottery workshop in Bedminster, £45 per person
5. 7-week Throwing course: Picton Lane, Stokes Croft
This 7 week throwing course is a great introduction to working with clay for total beginners or intermediate on the wheel.
This course includes learning different techniques including wedging, centering, shaping, pulling and working with different tools to create a variety of different forms.
You will also learn different glazing techniques using colourful underglaze and glazes in the final week of this course. By the end of the course you will have a selection of beautiful thrown ceramics to take home with you.
🏺7 week throwing course in Stokes Croft, £225 per person
6. Ceramic Vase Pottery Workshop, Wild Clay Studios, Bedminster
Make something practical and functional in this wonderful vase pottery workshop.
In this pottery class, you'll be taught the hand-building techniques of pinching and coiling to create unique vases perfect to put pride of place in your home. This experience is designed to make clay fun and easily accessible to everyone. Book this workshop individually, or privately for birthdays, work do's, hen do's and other special occasions!
Your creations will be left for a week to be bisque-fired, glazed and fired again for one final time. This process takes 4-6 weeks and you will be emailed when your masterpieces are ready to collect!
7. Private pottery wheel workshop for two in Bedminster: Trylla Shop on North Street, Bedminster
On Bedminster's North Street you can take a private pottery wheel class for one or two people at Trylla.
If you've ever watched The Great Pottery Throw Down and wanted to give throwing on a pottery wheel a go, this is your sign! During this session the focus is on throwing pots until you feel confident enough to create one on the wheel without guidance.
Coloured slip is available to decorate your pots once they've been thrown and before they are fired and glazed. Coloured slip is a watered-down clay that is coloured with pigments and you can apply this to a pot before it's fired. With glazes you need to have a pot fired once before applying them, but the coloured slip allows you to decorate your creations on the day that you make them.
A pottery wheel class for two makes a great date (you can make things for each other - cute!), or something special to do with a family member or friend. The location of this ceramics studio is perfect for going for food and drinks after.
🏺Private pottery wheel workshop for two in Bedminster, £150 for two people
8. Pot Head Workshop - Pottery & Plants (BYOB): St Werburghs, BS2 9PG
Can't seem to convince your friends to do a pottery workshop with you? It might be time to join the Pot Heads to make your own plant pot pal in St Werburghs!
The wonderful Tasha from Pot Heads brings this unique Pot Head edit to the platform and will show you step-by-step how to build your very own Pot Head character.
Discover simple yet essential pottery techniques to jumpstart your journey with your new hobby and don't be shy to get as messy and creative with it as your heart desires. You'll be able to bring your one-of-a-kind creation to life by giving it a cactus or succulent 'hairstyle' of your choice!
This experience is also perfect for a fun day out activity with your friends or a cute date idea and as a BYOB event, you can't really go wrong with it anyway!
The Pot Heads offer a variety of different events to choose from, or alternatively, Tasha also accepts bookings for private events - click here to find the message box below for more details.
🏺Pot Head Workshop - Pottery & Plants (BYOB) in St Werburghs, £28 per person
9. BYOB pottery and prosecco night: Picton Lane, Stokes Croft
Pottery and prosecco. You can't really go wrong can you? This pottery experience is great for a date night with a difference in Bristol. It would also suit a very Bristol hen do party (we love cool and quirky, don't we?) or just an excuse for some seccy with the girlies!
This workshop is on a Friday, so it's a banging way to start the weekend. Plus you are right in the middle of Stokes Croft, one of the best locations in Bristol for a night out. Did somebody say pottery pre-drinks?? Bring it on! Your host will provide you with a cheeky glass of prosecco, and you are welcome to bring some drinks with you to the experience!
Your hand-built pieces will be glazed and fired ready for collection a few weeks later.
Right, now let's organise our night out after this ultimate pre-drinks in Stokes Croft. We already know Pipe & Slippers does a good cocktail, or we could grab a Ray's Pizza at the Crofter's Garden which is right around the corner from Picton Lane. Speaking of Crofters... maybe there's some good music at Crofter's Rights? Or we could head to Love Inn for music and dancing? Oh there's so much choice!
🏺BYOB pottery and prosecco night in Stokes Croft, £35 per person
10. Ceramic Mountain Mug Pottery Workshop, Wild Clay Studios, Bedminster
Get creative with illustrator and small-bath ceramicist Rosi Tooth for a playful pottery-making workshop! Let her exciting illustrations inspire you as you create your very own illustrated mountain mug.
You don't need any prior pottery-making experience to join this hand-building ceramics workshop, your host Rosi will be there to give you all the crucial tips and tricks and the required tools and materials. So basically, the only thing you need to bring is your creativity - and make sure to bring lots of it!
You'll be reunited with your masterpiece after 4-6 weeks, as it will be left to be bisque-fired, glazed and fired. After this process, you'll be notified when your mug is ready for collection to finally see if your morning coffee tastes better from a self-made mug!
Rosi's unique hand-building ceramics workshop is for those with wild imaginations to express their creativity in the form of pottery!
🏺Ceramic Mountain Mug Pottery Workshop in Bedminster, £38 per person
11. Self-guided pottery session: Trylla Shop on North Street, Bedminster
Want to be left to it and do your own thing? You've got it! This self-led pottery session at Trylla is the pottery experience for you!
You'll have access to all the tools and the wheel at Trylla to make whatever you want, and you can choose which clay you'd like to work with. From memory there was a stoneware clay (it's a grey colour and good for hand-building but can be a bit rough when throwing on a wheel), a terracotta clay (a reddish clay that is smoother and suitable for wheel throwing), and there was a white clay (I think this was a ceramic potter's clay, but don't quote me).
You get a kilo of clay to work with, and you can make whatever you want in the time you have. Your pieces are fired, but not glazed, so you can book in another Clay Club experience and go back to apply ceramics paint to your piece before it gets fired again and glazed.
This is a great experience to go to if you are unsure you'll like pottery, but still want to give it a go. It's only £15 for the session, and although you don't get any help in making something it's a great way to dip your toe into the water.
🏺Self-guided pottery session with Trylla's Clay Club in Bedminster, £15 per person
