The Mug Tug Ashore - Pottery Painting Studio
BEST FOR
Ages 0+
ENTRY
from £19.50
SETTING
Indoors
WHERE
Burton-on-Trent
What it’s like
Pick a pottery shape off the shelf, paint it your way, and come back in a week for the finished piece.
You turn up, choose from a wall of blank pottery, nearly 400 shapes going by their own count, and get sat at your own table rather than squeezed in next to strangers. Mugs, plates, animals, dinosaurs, unicorns, trinket boxes, letters of the alphabet, there's a shape for whoever you're bringing. Staff give you a quick steer on technique before leaving you to it, and your name and age go underneath when you're done, which is a nice touch if you're painting alongside your own kids.
A basic piece starts at £19.50, and that's before you add anything. Handprints or footprints are another £2 and need booking ahead specifically, and if you fancy the underglaze finish for a brighter, shinier result, that's £10 on top. None of it's cheap for what's essentially a mug and some paint, but you're paying for the studio time as much as the pottery, and painting itself tends to run two to two and a half hours, so budget three hours all in once you count choosing and chatting.
There's no online booking, which is a faff if you like sorting things the night before with a glass of wine. You can drop in and they'll fit you in if there's a free table, but weekends and school holidays get busy enough that they tell you to book ahead properly. Once your piece is glazed and fired it takes about a week, and you've then got three months to actually collect it before it presumably becomes theirs.
Birthday parties run from age six upstairs, with a party animal package at £19.50 a head and a ten-child minimum, so it suits a proper group rather than three friends round a table. Bring your own food and they'll tack on another 45 minutes for £30. There's also a Clay Experience Workshop at £80 with a pottery wheel, spinning and shaping actual clay, though that one's for ten-year-olds and up.
Facilities
Need to know
- Best for
- No age limit, from babies' handprints to adults on their own
- Booking
- Drop-ins accepted but strongly recommended to book ahead, essential at weekends and school holidays
- How long to allow
- Painting typically takes 2-2.5 hours for adults
- Parties
- Children's parties (6+) with exclusive Sunday use available
- No online booking, so you'll need to call or drop by to reserve a table
- Handprint and footprint sessions must be booked ahead specifically
- Collect finished pieces within three months or you may lose them
- Hen parties need a £5 per person deposit which isn't refundable
Plan your visit
How much does it cost?
Pottery pieces start at £19.50 depending on the shape you pick. Handprints or footprints are £2 extra, and the underglaze upgrade for a shinier finish is £10.
Do we need to book?
Drop-ins are fine if there's a table free, but weekends and school holidays get busy so booking ahead is strongly advised. If you want handprints or footprints done, booking is essential.
How long does it take?
Painting itself usually takes two to two and a half hours, so allow around three hours once you've chosen your piece and settled in.
Is there an age limit?
None for painting, babies through to grandparents all turn up. Birthday parties in the upstairs room need children to be six or over, and the Clay Experience Workshop with the pottery wheel is for ten-year-olds and up.
When do we get our pottery back?
It needs glazing and firing, so it's ready for collection in about a week. You've got three months to pick it up.
What do birthday parties involve?
The Party Animal package is £19.50 a head with a minimum of ten children, and it's exclusive use on a Sunday. You can bring your own food for an extra £30, which adds 45 minutes to the party.
What can we paint?
Nearly 400 shapes are kept in stock all year, from mugs and plates to dinosaurs, unicorns, trinket boxes and money boxes.
Is it just for kids?
Not at all, plenty of adults come on their own or with friends, and parents often paint alongside younger ones at the same table.
Can we book as a group?
Tables rearrange for groups of any size, and they regularly host Brownies, Scouts, school trips and hen parties. Numbers may be limited depending on the age of the group.
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