At Denby, the craft begins by carefully observing real lives and designing products for the way we live.
And this care continues through the design process, the magic of the glaze reactions, the unique iron-rich Derbyshire clay used, the scores of intriguingly-named pottery techniques we use (items can be fettled, jolleyed, sponged, turned and dipped!), the journey into the high temperature kilns and through to the thorough final inspection which happens to every piece before it gets the Denby backstamp of approval.
The studio.
We always start by carefully observing needs and real lives, and designing our products with a purpose - mugs that fit under coffee machines, oven dishes the exact width of a lasagne sheet, bowls for all occasions and every item dishwasher, oven, microwave and freezer safe. And because Denby has beauty as well as function, our ranges work for Tuesday tea to weekend dinner parties.
Glaze alchemy.
Designs for shape, colour and glaze are passed to our team of highly skilled craftspeople to be developed into the products and collections you know as Denby ceramics. Our unique glazes are a mix of method, experience and experimentation. Stunning reactions happen between the ingredients of the glaze recipe and the heat of the kiln when applied to our special iron rich clay, producing that unique Denby colour and texture. Every year we recycle over 100,000 litres of glaze during the glazing process, so reusing our resources.
01 | Casting.
Casting is used to make more complicated shapes, such as teapots and handles and uses a mould made from a number of pieces. The clay is mixed with water to form ‘liquid slip', which is poured into the mould.
02 | Sponging.
A damp sponge is used to wipe over every piece, make it clean and smooth. Each piece is quality checked and any that don't meet the required quality are recycled back to slip.
03 | Firing.
Each piece is placed onto a kiln cart and passes through one of the Denby kilns at approximately 960°C – It takes around 18 hours to kiln fire every piece.
04 | Glazing.
We apply the glaze in three ways: Rinsing, Dipping and Spraying. Any excess glaze is then poured away and recycled. After glazing, the bottom of each pot is cleaned to stop them sticking to the kiln.
The whole process.
View behind the scenes footage of our Derbyshire factory to see how Denby is made, from start to finish. Pieces made with purpose and love, to be used and enjoyed everyday.
Denby has been making pottery on the same site in the Derbyshire countryside for over 200 years, and so it's no surprise that we have a vast array of pottery techniques used in the making of our ceramics (sometimes with the most intriguing of names!).
Dottie:
(noun)
A trolley for storing ware in progress. Origin unknown, but used at Denby for at least 100 years.
A trolley for storing ware in progress. Origin unknown, but used at Denby for at least 100 years.
Fettling:
(verb)
Trimming of rough edges, used as a ceramic and metalwork term. At least 400 years old. We fettle the seams of cast items.
Trimming of rough edges, used as a ceramic and metalwork term. At least 400 years old. We fettle the seams of cast items.