Newlyn Art Industries Open Day

In 1891, the Cornish Telegraph named Barret (sic) and Pezzack as the main teachers of the Industrial Class, assisted by Mackenzie, Bramley, Gotch and Craft, who all taught the classes in the first four months of 1891. Norman Garstin, writing in the Studio in 1896, some six years after they had started, identified a school master, a rich man, and a telegraph clerk as the founders of the classes but does not name them. Two years later (1896), Stanhope Forbes named Thomas Bedford Bolitho along with Thomas Cooper Gotch and Percy Craft as being the founders of the industrial classes. Presumably all these men played a part but the main force must have been the powerful Thomas Bedford Bolitho who provided the initial capital and the premises in the Fradgan.

The next Newlyn Archive Open Day on November 16 2013 explores the origin and development of the Newlyn Industrial Classes into the Newlyn Art Metal Industry and Goff and Betty Johns show some of the amazing copper work produced by Goff’s grandfather Thomas Batten, who was one of the craftsmen who took the work forward in the period between the two wars.

We also explore Newlyn’s world-famous potteries including RT Dick’s Pumcetto pottery, Maggi Fisher’s Celtic Pottery, Alan Brough’s pottery in Duke St, Dennis Lane’s Newlyn Harbour Pottery at 58 Strand, Peter Ellery’s Tremaen Pottery on the Norrad Slip and Benny Sirota and Leslie Illsey’s Troika Pottery in the Fradgan. You will be able to listen to some old gramophone records made by Barbara Wootton née Ellery who once worked at Tremaen Pottery.

Alongside metal work and pottery, Newlyn is famous for its sculptors, enamelling on gold and silver, the old Newlyn Press, Alec Walker’s Cryséde and much else.

Come and browse through our display albums and share your knowledge about the Newlyn Art Industries with us, to help plug the gaps in our archive knowledge. Entry is free. Refreshments are available. You can also purchase our books and surplus archive ephemera.

And in the evening

Join us for the Annual Entertainment at the Newlyn Gallery on 16/11/2013, 7-9pm. Join us for two very funny Cornish readings, The Coop and Romance by Randle Hurley. Goff Johns introduces Randle Hurley’s work and David Tredinnick directs some of your favourite local actors. Refreshments available. Free entry to Friends of the Archive. £5 visitors.