Pottery Corner

Have you ever seen the pottery scene in the film Ghost? Well, I read after this steamy liason between the late Patrick Swayze and Demi Moore, numbers in pottery classes soared. Ever since then, pottery has been given a new lease of life and although the Pottery Corner is less of a pottery class and more of a place to retreat with the children in half term, it is still a lovely experience (albeit without the steamy scenes).
Pottery Corner sells ready made pottery mugs, bowls, plates, egg cups and piggy banks all sitting clean and untouched on shelves waiting to be dressed. You make your choice then select some paint colours and, like an artist with his palate, you squirt your paint onto a little tile and start decorating. When your masterpiece is complete, you have to wave it goodbye for a week while the shop glaze it in their kiln. When you return to collect it you feel a rush of pride as it stands in all its glory. I have taken children here many times and making hand prints on tiles makes for a lovely Christmas present for the Grandparents.
Pottery Corner is not just for the children, it is a therapeutic getaway on a rainy Thursday afternoon for grown ups too and the shop has a range of stencils that you can use to create more intricate decorations. I saw a sign in the window recently that said the Pottery Corner was for sale but I hope this is no longer the case and this lovely little den stays open for ever.

Cool place to entertain the little ones. Although there are only so many times they will paint a plate. They managed to lose my little darlings plate a few months ago but it was found in the end. So don’t hold that against them. This is a great addition to Chorlton and needs to be shouted about more as many of my friends still do not know about it.

This place is a fabulous little find for a day when you want something productive to do with children, or without! You can buy a piece of pottery ranging in price from around £2.50 for an egg cup to the more expensive items such as a pig money bank, or a plate. Then you sit in the pleasantly light and airy shop to decorate it with paints.
The staff are very friendly and they also provide a party booking where you can bring many children. It is a fabulous way to spend a wet day, and children really get a sense of acheivement from creating such a professional looking piece of artwork. (The pieces are put in the kiln and you collect them a few days later).
A brilliant little find, in my favourite area of Manchester.

This place is super on a wet day or when you simply run out of steam with the children on a weekend and want something they can do that’s productive, creative and keeps them quiet longer than 5 mins! And as they get older that time increases with their attention span. Oh and the mess isn’t being made in your house which is always a bonus. Lovely too when you can’t think what to get your partner on fathers day or any other special occasion or person (grandparents can’t seem to get enough of baby fists and toe prints). Just dip your child in some paint, press whatever body part (hands and feet being the most traditional) against a vase, plate or mug, add some blurb like best dad or a birth date and done! A treasured memento and future heirloom that you simply collect in a few days once it’s been fired in their kiln. T
he character animals and money banks are good too but it can get a bit pricy depending on what you choose. If you want to string it out try using some of the stencils and sponges as well as the brushes. And if you want to be really arty — what about using leaves from outside or any interesting objects you don’t mind getting saturated in paint to make interesting marks?
Choosing something like a large tile is a good idea for the younger ones rather than something fiddly and you’ll be astounded what comes out their heads.
They do refreshments if your youngster turns out to be a budding Picasso and a bit of a perfectionist, or even better paint something yourself too!
You don’t have to have children to go here. They’ve examples of wedding plates guests have signed for the couple and pieces that adults have clearly spent a lot of time on. It’s great when you go to collect your finished piece as it tends to look better than you remember once it’s been glazed and you do get a fleeting glow of I made that pride.