William Plumptre established his first pottery studio in Hartsop near Patterdale, where he built his own oil-fired kiln in the outbuildings of a traditional stone built Lakeland house. He moved to his current base in a seventeenth century farmhouse at Witherslack over 30 years ago from where he now creates his pottery.

William’s ceramics feature in a number of public collections including at Blackwell Arts & Crafts House in Bowness-on-Windermere.  He specialises in throwing with robust stoneware clay, creating a variety of press moulded bottles and dishes.  Using rope and material, each piece can then be inlaid with different coloured slips.

His glazes are made largely of local materials including wood ash and granite, and all of his work is reduction fired in the 65 cubic foot gas-fired kiln which he designed himself.