South Downs Clay Ltd

South Downs Clay Ltd Supplier of clay, glazes, pottery tools and equipment based in Durrington, West Sussex.

03/08/2026

Hi everyone,

I hope you're all very well and have enjoyed a cheeky couple of days off—it was definitely well needed!

I've been spending lots of time in the studio, working hard on my commissions and trying to get everything finished before September so I can hit the ground running when classes start back.

The studio is also having a bit of a refresh and a good tidy-up. We're hoping to create a little more space for everyone during classes, while also making more room to showcase everything we have to offer on the supply side of the business with Southdowns Clay.

Although the studio has been closed for classes, Southdowns Clay has remained open, and we've been receiving orders every single day, which has been absolutely fantastic. Thank you so much to everyone who has been ordering from us – your support really does mean the world.

Any orders placed will be going out tomorrow, and collection orders will be ready too.

Hopefully, we'll see you all very soon. Until then, take care of yourselves, enjoy the rest of your summer, and we can't wait to welcome you back to the studio in September

29/07/2026

After a long weekend at a pottery show, I'm looking forward to being back in the studio! It was wonderful demonstrating some of my latest work, using many of the tools and underglazes that we stock in our online shop.

If you'd like to try them for yourself, we have a fantastic range of pottery tools, glazes, and underglazes available. We also run pottery workshops at our studio, Field Place Pottery in Worthing, where you can learn new techniques in a friendly and creative environment.

If you have any questions about our products or workshops, just get in touch—we'd love to help!

29/07/2026

Hi everyone,

I hope you're all enjoying the sunshine! ☀️

I'll be back in the studio tomorrow for collections and orders. We've had an amazing week of sales, and I just wanted to say a huge thank you for all your support—it really does mean so much.

We have a great range of glazes, tools, and other pottery supplies available. Do take a look at www.southdownsclay.co.uk to see our full range. If you're looking for something specific that you can't find, just let us know and we may be able to order it in for you.

Have a lovely evening, and I look forward to seeing you tomorrow!

Jess

17/07/2026

Hi everyone! I hope you're all doing really well.

It's been a very hot week in the pottery, and I've really struggled to keep myself going in this heat. I don't cope well with high temperatures, and unfortunately the pots have been drying far too quickly, which has caused some of them to crack. Having to remake them is heartbreaking, to say the least.

But we keep going, stay strong, and carry on. Eventually, we'll get there!

I've been working on this commission for a couple of weeks now, and it's certainly not been as straightforward as I'd hoped. That said, we're making progress. The first batch is in the kiln at the moment, ready to come out soon.

I'm always a little nervous about opening the kiln because you never know what the kiln gods have in store—they can be quite cruel sometimes! So, keep your fingers crossed for me. Hopefully, I'll be greeted by 10 beautiful finished pieces, ready to make their way to the client.

A little studio update too: the studio is now closed for our regular weekly sessions over the summer. However, I do have some drop-in pottery sessions available to book through the website if you'd like to come along and get creative. I currently have spaces available on 13th August and 27th August, so if you've been thinking about giving pottery a go, I'd love to see you.

I've also added some new workshops to the website, so it's well worth having a look to see what's coming up.

Take care of yourselves, everyone. Stay cool, and I'll hopefully have some good news to share very soon when I open that kiln! Thank you, as always, for your amazing support—it really does mean the world to me. ❤️

14/07/2026

Hi everyone! 👋 Hope you're all having a lovely day!

It's a very warm one in the studio today 🥵 and I'm definitely sweating buckets, but I'm busy working on commission pieces and lots of little orders!

Just a little reminder that although the Potteries are closed over the summer holidays, South Downs Clay is still open for:
✨ Collections
🎨 Clay supplies
🛠️ Tools

If you've been meaning to pop by and have a look around, just send me a message to book an appointment. I'd be delighted to show you around the pottery and chat about what we do.

If we haven't met yet... hi! 👋 I'm Jess, and I run South Downs Clay with my husband. We're based just outside Worthing at Field Place Manor House, and we'd love to welcome you to the studio!

Stay cool and hope to see you soon! ☀️🤎

10/06/2026

Good morning everyone! 😊
We hope you're all having a wonderful day.

We're excited to let you know that we have a huge delivery arriving today, including lots of clay, casting slip, and plenty of other pottery supplies! We're also in the middle of updating the website, but don't worry – you can still place orders online as normal.

If you'd like to pop into the studio to browse supplies or collect an order, please give us a quick call before setting off. We run pottery classes most mornings and throughout the week, so this helps us make sure we can give you the time and attention you deserve.

We're usually available for visitors in the afternoons, but a quick phone call, text, or email beforehand is always appreciated. Alternatively, you can place your order online and choose collection – just let us know, and we'll confirm as soon as your items are ready.

Thank you for your continued support. We look forward to seeing you soon, whether it's for supplies, a class, or just a friendly visit!
Have a fantastic day and happy potting!

Hi everyone,We're back in the studio today after finishing classes and spending some time testing a few new clays that w...
04/06/2026

Hi everyone,
We're back in the studio today after finishing classes and spending some time testing a few new clays that we're considering adding to our pottery supply range.

Whenever I try a new clay, I like to make a small bird sculpture. It's a great way to test how the clay responds to pinching, sculpting, shaping, and texturing. Because the birds are small, they also allow me to see how the clay behaves during firing without using too much material.

Today I've been working with a beautiful black stoneware clay, and I'm really impressed with it so far. It's lovely and fine to work with, although a little messy! I think it would be fantastic for throwing and also for detailed sculptural work. I've added some texture to the surface to see how well it holds detail, and the results are very promising.
I've also got several other clays to test, including:

Porcelain

TKJ Throwing & Handbuilding Body

Original Red ES Clay

I'll be trying all of these out over the coming days and deciding which ones to add to our clay range from Potclays.

If there's a particular clay you'd like us to stock, please let us know. We're about to place an order, so this is the perfect time to tell us what you're looking for and we'll see if we can bring it in for you.

We've also just added three more clays to our Valentine's selection:

Two porcelains

One black clay

In addition, we're considering stocking B17C casting slip and are currently researching plaster casting materials.

If there's anything you'd like us to source, get in touch and we'll be happy to provide pricing and availability before we place our orders.

All the very best, and I'll see you soon!

26/05/2026

Hi all,

It’s been a long weekend at Potfest, and I just want to thank you all for your support. The sun has definitely taken it out of me, so the studio will be closed until Thursday to give me a little time to recharge.

Collection of clay and tools will be on Thursday from 10am–3pm.

See you soon,
Jess

14/05/2026

Some work from the kiln… the big pieces have finally arrived! Now all they need is their final glaze before they’re ready for the show. Fingers crossed we can get them fired and finished in time.

The clay I’ve used for these pieces is ES20 Clay — a fantastic hand-building clay that I use all the time. It’s brilliant for outdoor sculpture, tableware, and even my Raku sessions. Such a versatile clay to work with.

The penguin piece has been made using ES50 Clay, a lovely crank clay designed for sculpture. It has a slightly more plastic quality, which makes it great for achieving finer detail. It’s not as heavily grogged as some crank clays I’ve used before, but it gives such a beautiful finish and lovely natural colour once fired.





14/05/2026

Hi, hope you’re all very well.

Just popping in to let you know that Glynde CeramicsFair is only a week away. I’ve been working really hard this year to create some really beautiful new pieces, and I recently had a photographer capture them professionally. I’m so pleased with the outcome. There’s much more to show you, but I thought I’d share these first, as these will be the pieces I’ll have at the show.

Over the next few days, I’ll be talking more about the meanings behind the work and what I’ve been developing towards for this exhibition. The work has truly evolved over the last year into the vessel forms you see before you.

About a year ago, I had a real crisis of confidence and felt I needed to make a change to the work I was producing because I no longer felt it was good enough. So this is my newest body of work — work that has pushed me further than ever before. I’ve challenged myself to try new things, develop new techniques, and create pieces that feel more honest and more connected to the ideas I’ve been exploring.

I’m still deeply inspired by the landscape and the ever-changing patterns and textures we see around us — the bird’s-eye view of the world, the patchwork colours of farmers’ fields, and the marks left behind by machinery carving patterns into the land. I find beauty in cracked pavements with moss growing through them, in fleeting glimpses of green, in weathered surfaces, memories, textures, and traces of time.

Inspiration comes from everywhere: driving past a field, walking down a road, noticing a pattern, a colour, a texture, a feeling, or even the memory of a place. I’m inspired by both historical artefacts and contemporary emotions, abstracting these ideas and painting them onto the surfaces of my pots.

For me, these vessels are more than functional forms — they are three-dimensional canvases, designed to bring warmth, light, and presence into a home





Address

The Pottery, Field Place Manor House, The Boulevard
Worthing
BN131NP

Opening Hours

Tuesday 10am - 3pm
Wednesday 10am - 3pm
Thursday 10am - 3pm
Friday 10am - 3pm

Website

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