Painting Pots
ENTRY
from £5
WHERE
Knaresborough
What it’s like
A two-hour sit-down painting pots, making squishies or decorating foam clay, with the finished pottery collected a fortnight later.
You pick a pot, mug or animal shape from the shelves, then settle in for a two-hour session with proper pottery glaze rather than the poster paint you get in a lot of these places. There's foam clay decorating and squishie making too, if sitting still and painting isn't quite the mood, plus glass fusion kits where staff talk you through it before your piece goes off to be fired. Foam clay items you take home the same day, which is handy if patience is running thin.
The pottery itself is the slow bit. Once it is glazed and fired you come back in 10 to 14 days to collect it, or pay to have it posted, which takes 3 to 4 weeks and adds another £6 or so on top. That is a proper faff if you were hoping for a same-day souvenir, but it does mean the finish is the real thing, food safe and water tight. Prices start at £5 and climb to £70 depending on what you choose, on top of a £5 per person deposit that comes off your final bill.
Access is worth knowing about before you turn up with a buggy. There are two steps at the entrance, though the door folds to let pushchairs and wheelchairs through, and most of the seating is up a spiral staircase with only two tables on the ground floor. A carrier or sling is the better bet for small children if you want to avoid the stairs altogether.
Refreshments are sold on site, hot and cold drinks and snacks with gluten-free and oat milk options, and they'd rather you didn't bring your own from outside. Parties are on offer too, including slime Olympics and glow-in-the-dark sessions, with pricing on request.
Facilities
Need to know
- Food
- Cold and hot drinks, snacks including gluten-free options, oat milk, decaf Yorkshire tea
- Pushchairs
- Foldable door at entry accommodates large pushchairs
- Wheelchairs
- Two ground-floor tables accessible
- Parties
- Award-winning parties including pottery painting, slime Olympics, glow-in-the-dark and themed activities
- Finished pottery is only kept for 3 months after firing, so don't leave collection too long
- Fast-fire is a free option if you want your piece done quicker than the standard wait
- You can buy plain bisque to take home and decorate with your own materials, at 20% off shelf price
- An emergency firing costs an extra £5 if you need it done sooner
- Takeaway kits need a £20 deposit and a £25 minimum spend
Plan your visit
How much does it cost?
There's a £5 per person deposit that comes off your bill, then pottery itself runs from £5 up to £70 depending on what you paint or make.
Do we need to book?
Booking is required, so it's not a turn-up-and-see sort of place.
How long do we get?
Sessions run for two hours. Staff may let you stay longer if it's quiet, but ask on arrival rather than assuming.
When do we get to take our pottery home?
Glazed and fired items are ready in 10 to 14 days, so you'll need a second visit or arrange postage. Foam clay pieces you take away the same day.
Can you post it to us instead?
Yes, for £6 to £12 depending on size, sent tracked via Royal Mail, but allow 3 to 4 weeks for it to land.
Is there food and drink there?
Hot and cold drinks and snacks are sold on site, with gluten-free and oat milk options. They ask that you don't bring your own from outside.
What if we're not very artistic?
Staff are on hand to help with the painting or the writing if you're stuck for ideas.
Is it accessible with a pushchair or wheelchair?
There are two steps at the entrance, though the door folds to let a wheelchair or pushchair through. Only two tables are on the ground floor, the rest of the seating is up a spiral staircase, so a carrier or sling works better for small children.
Do you do birthday parties?
Including pottery painting parties and themed ones like slime Olympics and glow-in-the-dark sessions. Contact them for pricing.
How do you keep track of whose pottery is whose?
Everything is photographed and logged with your name as you make it, then matched up again once it comes out of the kiln. Party pottery gets named on the bottom too.
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