Intensive Pottery Courses in London

Pottery courses condensed into full-day blocks. The same techniques covered on our weekly courses, taught over a weekend or a week. For people with a stretch of free time, or those who learn better in deeper sessions than weekly evenings.

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A young woman with braided hair shaping clay on a pottery wheel in a pottery class

Three people shaping clay on pottery wheels in a ceramics class

Handmade ceramic pots crafted at Turning Earth pottery studio in London

7 hours

Each session

inc. lunch & cleanup

12 students

Per teacher

per session

3–5 days

Course length

+ optional glazing session

£425

Price from

weekend intensive

All levels

Experience

no experience needed

As featured in

British Vogue

Elle Decoration

Time Out

BBC

ITV

Evening Standard

Ceramic Review

What to expect

The shorter gap between sessions is the real difference. With weekly courses, the start of each session goes into remembering what your hands learned the week before. With intensives, that gap doesn't exist, so the technique builds faster.

Every intensive includes a separate glazing session a few weeks after the main course, once your pieces have been bisque fired. If you can't attend, we'll glaze them for you. Tuition, clay, glazes, and use of studio equipment are included. Firing is the only thing charged separately, at £2.50 per 500g.
Each session runs for seven hours with a short lunch break. You'll work with the same tutor throughout, in a small group. The pace is faster than a weekly course, with extended sessions giving you time to practise each technique before moving on.

Person shaping clay on a pottery wheel using a metal tool.

What you'll learn

The curriculum depends on which intensive you choose. The general intensive covers both hand-building and wheel throwing. The wheel throwing intensives are focused entirely on the wheel.

In either format, you'll cover the full making process from raw clay to finished, glazed pieces. Techniques you practise in the morning are reinforced by the afternoon, then again the next day.

On the wheel, you'll learn centring, pulling walls, shaping cylinders and bowls, trimming, handles, and decorative techniques like slip and sgraffito. The general intensive also covers pinching, coiling, and slab building.

The glazing session introduces you to a selection of our studio glazes. Your tutor will show you application techniques and help you choose finishes that suit your pieces.

You'll leave with a working set of skills and a collection of work that shows what comes out of a few days of focused making.

Techniques covered

Centring

Wheel throwing

Pinching

Coiling

Slab building

Trimming & turning

Surface decoration

Glaze application

Why do an intensive at Turning Earth?

We run intensives at four London locations: Hoxton, Leyton, Highgate, and Camden. Every student gets their own wheel for the full session.

Three of these are our own open-access studios. Camden is a teaching space we run at the Camden Art Centre.

We've been doing this since 2013. We were one of London's first dedicated open-access ceramics studios, and over a decade of teaching has shaped both how we structure our courses and how we look after the people in them.

Turning Earth is a social enterprise. We exist to keep studio ceramics alive and accessible in London, and we work to improve the studios and support the people who use them.

Students working on pottery around a table in a well-lit studio with large windows

What our students say

Three students on what their intensive course was actually like.

“I was thoroughly inspired and engaged with the course taught so well by the lovely Rosie in Highgate. The large and airy studio is extremely well equipped and run with clear processes and routines to ensure both members and students can work around each other. On the intensive course we were able to develop our skills in throwing, trimming and glazing. Our group of 12 all thoroughly enjoyed and loved learning together, sharing tips and supporting each other. What a great way to spend a weekend! Will be back.”

pippa, weekend intensive, Highgate, 2024

“The week-long course with Rosie was an absolute dream. Rosie made everyone, from total beginners like myself to more seasoned potters, feel excited and enthusiastic about our learning. The atmosphere was just so joyful and warm; there was never any pressure to move at a certain pace and total patience and support with our entire learning process and all the ups and downs. I came in a total beginner and have left passionate and excited and desperate to continue! I honestly couldn’t praise Rosie enough - she was extremely skilled, kind, generous and thoughtful. I left every day glowing and happy!”

lilan, week-long ceramics intensive, Leyton, 2023

“Thank you Linda. You are a great teacher - I was so inspired and learnt so much! Linda was fantastic! She was so helpful and patient and she also had such a positive approach. The studio is very well equipped and had a very calm atmosphere. I loved the whole week and will definitely be back.”

Ziz, week-long ceramics intensive, Hoxton, 2024

Choose your intensive

Three formats covering the same techniques over different lengths and focuses.

3 days

Weekend Intensive: Wheel Throwing

from £425

Fri–Sun7 hrs/dayWheel only

Three full days on the potter's wheel, Friday to Sunday. Covers the core wheel techniques over a single weekend. An optional glazing session follows a few weeks later.

View available dates →

5 days

Group working on pottery in a well-lit studio

Week-Long Intensive: Ceramics

from £545

Mon–Fri7 hrs/dayWheel + hand-building

Five full days covering both hand-building and wheel throwing. The most complete intensive we offer: pinching, coiling, slab work, wheel throwing, trimming, and decorating. An optional glazing session follows two weeks later.

View available dates →

03

5 days

Three people shaping clay on pottery wheels

Week-Long Intensive: Wheel Throwing

from £545

Mon–Fri7 hrs/dayWheel only

Five full days focused entirely on the potter's wheel. Covers centring, cylinders, bowls, trimming, handles, and decorating. An optional glazing session follows two weeks later.

View available dates →

Get notified when new intensive dates are released

Just new dates, roughly once a month.

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Frequently asked questions

Practical questions about intensives, prerequisites, and what to expect.

Do I need any experience?

▸

No. Most students arrive having never worked with clay. The concentrated format is demanding, but the shorter gap between sessions means techniques stick faster than spreading the same content over weekly evenings. Tutors set the pace based on the people in the room.

What's the difference between the weekend and week-long?

▸

The weekend intensive runs Friday to Sunday, three full days on the wheel. The week-long intensives run Monday to Friday, in two versions: one covering both wheel and hand-building, the other wheel only. The longer format gives you time to revisit techniques across multiple days, rather than meeting each one once.

How long is each session?

▸

Seven hours with a short lunch break. Bring food or pick something up from the cafés nearby.

What's included in the price?

▸

Tuition, clay, glazes, and use of studio equipment are included. Most intensives offer two booking options: one with a starter toolkit you can take home, one without if you already have your own tools. Firing is the only thing charged separately, at £2.50 per 500g, which works out at around £2 per piece.

What should I bring?

▸

Clothes you don't mind getting clay on. Comfortable closed-toe shoes. A clean apron, ideally in a non-natural fabric as these trap less clay dust. Lunch or money for food nearby.

What about the glazing session?

▸

Every intensive includes an optional glazing session a few weeks after the main course, once your pieces have been bisque fired. The session is around four hours. If you can't make it, we'll glaze your pieces for you at no extra cost.

Can I buy this as a gift?

▸

Yes. Our gift vouchers cover any course and are valid for twelve months. The recipient picks their own dates and location. You can also book a specific class for someone by entering their details as the attendee. Tasters are one of our most popular gifts.

Which location should I book?

▸

Whichever is most convenient. Intensives run at all four locations: Hoxton, Leyton, Highgate, and Camden. The curriculum is the same everywhere. Hoxton, Leyton, and Highgate are our own open-access studios; Camden is a class venue we run at the Camden Art Centre.

Can I continue after the intensive?

▸

Yes. If you did one of the wheel throwing intensives, our 8-week or 12-week Intermediate Wheel Throwing course picks up the next layer of techniques: collaring, belly shapes, plates, and throwing off the hump.
Either way, you can apply for studio membership at Hoxton, Leyton, or Highgate. That gives you independent access to wheels, kilns, and shared studio space on a monthly rolling basis. Members work independently, with technicians on hand for advice and equipment questions but not teaching, so an intensive is good preparation. Members can also book private tuition if they want more structured teaching after joining.

Can I get a refund if I can't make it?

▸

Once booked, fees are non-refundable. If you can't make your intensive, let us know and we'll try to find someone to take your place. If we do, we'll issue a full refund. Intensives tend to fill up, so this often works, but we can't guarantee it.

What should I wear?

▸

Something you don't mind getting clay on. It washes out of most fabrics, but lighter colours can pick up stains. Avoid long, loose sleeves or jewellery that could catch on the wheel. Closed-toe shoes are sensible because studio floors get wet and tools occasionally get dropped.

Students working on ceramics at a Turning Earth studio table

Know someone who’d love this?

Our gift vouchers cover any of our courses, from a single taster session to a full twelve-week programme. The recipient picks their own class and dates, with twelve months to use it.

Ceramics is one of those things people have always meant to try. A voucher gives them an actual occasion to start. Because there's no fixed date on the gift itself, they can find a week that genuinely works rather than scrambling round a pre-booked slot.

Vouchers are sent by email immediately after purchase. If you'd rather gift a specific course on a specific date, you can do that directly through the course pages instead.

Buy a gift voucher

AFTER YOUR INTENSIVE

An intensive gives you the same foundation as our weekly courses. Enough to know whether you want to keep going.

If you took one of the wheel throwing intensives, our 8-week or 12-week Intermediate Wheel Throwing course is the natural next step. From any intensive, you can apply for studio membership at Hoxton, Leyton, or Highgate. That gives you independent access to wheels, kilns, and shared studio space on a monthly rolling basis. If you want to develop a serious ceramics practice, In Production is our dedicated studio space for professional makers.

Most people start with one course and see where it takes them.

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