We doubt many would have imagined how phenomenally successful and long-standing a venture Aylesford Pottery would be. Or, how commerce and general public alike would react to the humble rooms that produced simple ecclesiastical designs.

Perhaps the initial inspiration was born out of Fr Malachy Lynches connection with the well known artist Bernard Leach, whose son David was a trainee at St Ives Pottery. Anyway, David moved to Aylesford and so it has therefore been recorded, in the annals of ceramics history, that David Leach became the first manager of Aylesford Pottery. Building dream to reality, he was to stay for five inspirational years!

The renovation plans for the priory itself, re-acquired in 1948, were expansive and very expensive, so that the set up of the Pottery was to be humble and as inexpensive as possible. In 1955, housed in the main courtyard which was prone to flooding, it was to run alongside screen printing and printing workshops. As the courtyard was to be restored at some stage, as a major part of the reconstruction programme, it was agreed that it would not stay there. As it became obvious that the ventures were becoming successful, more buildings were to be erected. The courtyard site was functional but, as it happened, the restoration work took ten years to be completed, so the Pottery moved on sooner rather than later. A move that was to be the first of many!

The main concern, at all times, was that it must not jeopardise the actuality of the Priory; although hopefully commercially viable it must not grow out of the hands of the Prior. David Leach made plans along side Fr Malachy so that this would be the case. It grew too in that the name of Leach is synonymous, even today, with Aylesfordware. It is not quite such a well recorded fact that the mainstay, through out those successful years (over twenty in total) was his assistant Br Michael who recalls.

"David didn’t know if the Pottery would be successful or not and was very economical when setting up. He installed two electric wheels and tried two or three kinds of clay, originally red earthenware, which he fired in low temperature kilns. We experimented. I had little experience and I think David wondered if this Brother, who had been imposed on him, would be any good. But David was a good teacher, I learnt quickly.

In the first year we made ecclesiastical candlesticks and fonts. Everything we made sold immediately, we couldn’t make them quickly enough. I remember we had a showroom under the arch in the courtyard; a bell there was pushed for attention. After about two years we started to make larger wall fonts and alter candlesticks and the massive flower pots that became big sellers. We saturated the market with them."

Br Michael who has many memories of the early days, relates with fondness and some humour. "We tried many different techniques, dips and glazes whilst producing small jugs and vases. We finally finished up with the honey glaze. David experimented with the stoneware, using an oil fired Japanese designed kiln. It opened up a whole new market, so that at about that time we expanded again. We were taking up quite a lot of room then with a separate glaze chamber as well as the firing area. It was no surprise really that David wanted to move on, he was a successful young artist who wanted his own studio. I was sorry to see him go; partly because I had to take over the running before we could find someone else to come in his place. It was fortunate that Colin Pearson, who was quite a dynamic and experienced young man, decided that he would come here."

Br Michael certainly was an integral part of the overall success; holding the place together during the changeover. He will tell you that quite a strange phenomenon took place then. He ran the pottery from time to time on his own, with the help of young men who came from overseas usually for secular training.

The tried and tested methods were still working, production was increasing but when Colin Pearson arrived, the popularity of earthenware was tapering off. He tried many different techniques to expand into, different areas so that sales would increase even more. Trainees were taken on, some from Portugal. Students were coming from Art Colleges, where Pottery was becoming popular, for experience. Some even came from America to aid the Portuguese trainees who made huge water pots whilst the students made small vases and bowls in batches of two or three hundred at a time.

Times were certainly changing; the Pottery was moved on yet again. "Out of the brick building into a former wood store," recalls Br Michael. "It was during this time that Ray Finch joined us for a year. He was happy to try anything, including changing the kilns again. We even tried throwing pine logs into the kiln to change the colouring in the glaze. He was responsible for the investment in statue moulds. He certainly was an influence."

"Then, as the firing time got shorter and shorter we were able to produce a larger amount of the smaller pots. I was put in charge of marketing; until then we had only sold small amounts of these in local craft shops. We started getting orders from all over the country. Maceys in New York too. All would be wrapped up and put into large cartons. Liverpool, Birmingham even to Scottish islands where people had holiday homes they went to. Orders were sent to packers who crated it all up and sent out by road and rail. October to May were not busy in the shop, but we had to keep on making all the time. There was more and more demand and then that meant a longer delivery date. There were the invoices to attend to as well." So phenomenal was the demand a new manager was brought in whilst a £42,000 kiln was installed.

Unfortunately these two changes coincided with the inability to find trained Potters. The art form was so popular in schools and colleges that newly qualified people were going off to teach; which is where the money was. It was also true that Pottery was big business, huge conglomerates were buying bigger kilns, production was at its peak; in direct competition with the smaller studios such as Aylesford.

"That is when it became monotonous. We worked and worked to fulfil the orders. Eventually I did repairs to the kiln and equipment, tools etc. just for the change." Happily, in 1977, the Pottery out of his head, Br Michael found himself back exclusively at his secular post; the Priory was fast becoming a refuge and his work lay in building that into a success too. It was with regret though that he saw the collapse of the Pottery that he had helped to build. Some might say that it grew too quickly; ignoring the signs that came from the mighty world of commerce. Luckily it survived the fight; its produce still highly valued and sought after goods.
Since then many changes have been made, the operation is on a much smaller, yet on no less dedicated scale.

James Kelsey, a young man from Aylesford, took over the ailing business in the early nineteen nineties, breaking the tradition of forty years that it be run by the Priory itself. Although governed by their finite guidelines he introduced interesting artistic input, alongside the traditional range that has been dictated by history.

In the spring of 2001 management changed yet again! Alan Parris, who had worked for James for some years, took over the task of running the business on a viable tenure, along side his equally experienced partner Billy Byles. They are totally committed to their task and are keen to expand into outside show areas to show off their garden ware. Here’s to success in 2002 and to an infinite future at Aylesford.