Turning Earth Highgate is a ceramics studio offering pottery classes, flexible memberships, and wheel-throwing courses.
Just a 5-minute walk from Highgate Station on the Northern Line, the studio is surrounded by the ancient wild woods that flank Muswell Hill Road.
A huge, airy, saw-toothed industrial building with an adjacent courtyard garden, it is home to a new community of makers in North London, offering space for a lot more people to fit creativity into their everyday life.
Located in a small industrial enclave surrounded by Queen's woods, the new studio has spent the last 25 years as a houseplant design workshop. A classic 1930s brick built industrial building, the 6000 sq ft structure has a north-facing saw-tooth roof, which offers the perfect light for crafting. Lovingly renovated by its former occupier, a life-long collector of British studio ceramics and a personal friend of some of the leading ceramicists of the post-war generation, its pillars are painted a distinctive orange. This playful touch has been developed further with Turning Earth's new range of colourful, mid-century inspired furniture.
The adjacent Highgate Woods is home to a recently discovered Roman kiln, and indeed the practice of pottery in the area goes back to prehistory. Turning Earth, collaborating with Friends of Highgate Roman Kiln, has built and fired an (almost) exact replica Roman kiln with ware produced in the studio, to great success. Situated next the original, it has been fired several times by Turning Earth's own team and will continue to be a feature of studio life and collaborative events.
Have a look at our gallery of studio images, or pop in for a visit during our opening hours and see it for yourself.
Immerse yourself in the creative process with our wide range of ceramics courses. Whether you're a beginner eager to try pottery for the first time or an experienced artist looking to perfect your craft, we have a course that suits your needs. Pottery is all about limitless creativity, and the possibilities with clay are endless.
Courses for All Levels
Whether you're just starting out or have years of experience, our welcoming community of artists and makers is open to all. We offer memberships that cater to every skill level, providing you with the tools and support you need to grow and nurture your creative talents.
As a member, you’ll enjoy access to our studio during open hours, up to 15 hours per week. All membership plans include your own personal storage shelf (approximately 90cm x 45cm x 45cm), professional technicians to fire your work, use of equipment, and up to 30 litres of set-temperature firings each month. The only additional purchase required is clay, which we offer on-site at competitive prices.
As a member, you’ll enjoy exclusive access to a variety of benefits designed to support your artistic growth:
There's always a technician on site to advise members on how to use the equipment, and on the best way to carry out a project. This isn’t structured teaching, as such, but if you want advice on technique they’ll be happy to make suggestions. If you are a bit rusty, don’t worry, you are not on your own!
If you would like private tuition to learn a new process then you can get discounted tuition from Turning Earth teachers or technicians. This costs £30 an hour for one person or £45 an hour for two people.
Glazes are ready-mixed by our staff with test tiles, so you can see how they will look on different clay bodies. Our technicians are on hand to pack the kilns, so you don’t need to worry about that.
Yes, anyone can sign up, as long as they are responsible in the studio. If you are a complete beginner, we recommend you take an introductory class, but after that, you are welcome to become a member and keep practicing at your own pace. There’ll be people on hand to help you. Everyone has to start somewhere and you’ll be amazed at how quickly you’ll improve.
Turning Earth membership is for people aged 16 and above. We cannot have younger children alone in the studio due to the risks inherent in using raw glaze chemicals, sharp tools, and electrical equipment.
Turning Earth is not set up to accommodate professional potters in the studio. Having one or more production potters in the studio would tie up our equipment and make it difficult for others to have access. We want to make sure that facilities are always available for our members whenever they choose to visit. If you are a full-time or professional maker wanting a fully equipped space to run your business then please look at joining In Production, our professional studio in Leyton. It has been designed especially for career makers as so many of our hobbyists have taken their practice to the next stage after spending time at Turning Earth.
Whether you’re looking to master your craft, or just put your hands in some clay and make something, Turning Earth will allow you to work at a pace that suits you. Come whenever suits you, whether your free time is on a Sunday afternoon, or a Thursday lunchtime, or if it changes from week to week.
Turning Earth offers monthly membership instead of hourly or daily rates because every piece you make goes through several steps and takes weeks to complete. You are given your own personal storage areas on-site to store your clay and work-in-progress between visits.
Turning Earth membership is for everyone—inquisitive beginners, off and on hobbyists, and experienced artists. There’ll always be someone on hand in the studio to answer your questions. But if you’d rather have something a little more structured, we run regular classes as well.
Turning Earth is set up for part-time use. This is how we keep costs down for everyone, because this way we can all get the cost benefits of hot-desking and equipment sharing. If we had full-time potters in the space it would tie up the facilities and it would give less value to our part-time members. For this reason, the maximum time a member can use the studio in a week is 15 hours.
We don’t expect that all our members will want to use the studio as much as this. But even if you used it for less than half of that time, you still get great value from Turning Earth. If you come for 5 hours a week, for example, £245 a month still works out at around £12 an hour, compared to the £18 an hour of limited access you might get at other studios.
Our experience is that the equipment provided is plenty for the number of members, as people tend to come and go organically and use the studio at different times. However, on the rare occasion that all of our wheels are in use at a certain time, it would be useful if you could limit your use of that process to 3 hours. If this ever becomes an issue we'll purchase more wheels, but you’ll really help us out by being aware of it and being flexible.
Clay is available for purchase at a discounted price. We also have basic tool kits and throwing bats available. If you want to add additional storage space, this can be bought for a small monthly add-on fee.
Turning Earth Highgate is conveniently located near several public transport options
The studio is approximately a 6-minute walk from Highgate Station on the Northern Line.
The 43 and 134 bus routes have stops just a 2-minute walk away, providing easy access from various parts of the city.
Cycling to Turning Earth Highgate is a convenient and eco-friendly option. The studio is equipped with bike parking spaces located within the gated area of the yard, ensuring a safe place to store your bicycle during your visit.
The studio is accessible via several key cycling routes in North London, and the surrounding area has quiet streets and designated bike lanes, making your ride more comfortable and enjoyable. If you’re new to cycling in the area, apps like Google Maps or Citymapper can help you plan the safest and most efficient route to the studio.
Please note that Highgate is in a slightly hilly area, so you may want to account for inclines in your journey, depending on your starting point.
Driving to Turning Earth Highgate is possible, but parking options are limited, and visitors are encouraged to use alternative modes of transport when possible.
On-site parking is restricted to disabled users. There is very limited street parking in the surrounding area. You may find pay-and-display or residential parking zones, but these can be subject to restrictions, so always check the signage carefully.
Access: Ground level. Wheelchair access. Internal stairs.
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