The craft destinations in Cornwall you can’t miss

Here’s our guide to must-see Cornish craft sites – assembled through our own research and handy tips from locals.

Brickfield
Location: near St Austell

We're surrounded by them every day, but chances are you've never given much thought to the humble brick. That's where Brickfield comes in: a community brickworks giving new life to a disused clay pit, where visitors are invited to get close to the land and have a go at making their own. Katie Treggiden tells us more inside the Place issue of Crafts magazine.

New Craftsman Gallery
Location: St Ives

Founded in 1960 by the illustrious ceramicist Janet Leach, today the New Craftsman Gallery represents more than 100 potters, sculptors, painters and jewellers via its programme of eight exhibitions per year. (While you're there, it's worth a trip to the nearby Barbara Hepworth Museum – only a stone's throw away up the hill).

Doherty Porcelain
Location: Mousehole

Potter Jack Doherty creates soda-fired vessels whose dappled surfaces recalls the palette of sea and sky, so it's no surprise that his studio is located in a fishing village overlooking the Atlantic. Doherty's workshop and gallery are open by appointment only, so make sure to get in touch before you visit.

Krowji
Location: Redruth

Cornwall’s largest creative hub, Krowji (Cornish for ‘workshop’ or ‘shed’), provides studios and workspaces for a wide range of businesses. Among the practitioners based in the former grammar school buildings are jewellers, furniture makers, ceramicists, textile artists and more. Krowji opens its doors to the public biannually in the summer and around Christmas, while its resident artists and makers also run regular workshops.

No.56
Location: Penzance

This shop in Penzance offers a carefully curated range of handmade homeware and clothing, with a particular focus on natural materials such as linen, wood and clay. If you need that, we'll be browsing baskets and beeswax candles over on their online shop...

Open Studios Cornwall
Location: various

There's nothing we like more than taking a peek into the creative worlds of craftspeople. And with Open Studios Cornwall – recommended by Leach Pottery director Libby Buckley – you can do just that. Past participants include handweaver Heddle & Slub, ceramic artist Tamsyn Trevorrow, and guitarmaker Martin Douglas.

Michel Francois Porcelain
Location: Falmouth

A visit to Michel Francois is design expert and Cornwall resident Katie Treggiden's top tip for a crafty Cornish trip. Each of the potter's thrown porcelain pieces is glazed using tree ash, local feldspar and stone, giving his moon jars, teabowls and tableware a uniquely regional flavour.

Tresslick Gallery
Location: Feock

Nestled in an award-winning barn conversion within a National Trust garden with glorious seaside views, Tresslick Gallery operates in partnership with the Cornwall Crafts Association to put both established and emerging local artists and craftspeople in the spotlight.

Leach Pottery
Location: St Ives

Since its founding in 1920, the Leach Pottery has been a towering force in the UK's craft scene. This is thanks to the influence of co-founders Bernard Leach – often dubbed the 'grandfather of British studio pottery' – and Shoji Hamada. Today the pottery boasts a busy workshop, museum and shop, offering one-off pieces alongside its famous Standard Ware range of pots for the table.

Wheal Martyn Clay Works

Location: St Austell

'I believe we need to be more aware of where our materials come from, both for artisans and those who enjoy the end products,' says local potter Giulietta Hextall. 'Understanding the impact on the land of china clay's extraction allows us to appreciate it more fully.' During its 250-year mining history, Cornwall was at one point responsible for 50% of the world's china clay stock – used to make porcelain – from sites such as Wheal Martyn. A family-friendly tour of the Clay Works offers insights into its precious 'white gold'.

Port Isaac Pottery and Chapel Café
Location: Port Isaac

Set within the Port Isaac harbour, the former Roscarrock Methodist Chapel is now home to a pottery workshop where the Hawkins family make their unique pieces. The chapel building retains many of its original 19th-century features, with sweeping views over the historic fishing village. The showroom is open all year and since the studio don't ship their ceramics, you’ll have to make the sojourn in person – well worth the pilgrimage, we’d argue.

Morgans
Location: Falmouth

Cornish art and design gallery Morgans began in November 2019 when owners Ann Morgan and Tony Holmes and their daughters Martha, Ella and Clara purchased a five-storey building in the centre of Falmouth. Since then, the building has undergone a complete overhaul – with Tony enlisting local craftspeople for the renovation – and now has three floors of dedicated studios for artists and makers, in addition to its main exhibition space.

The Whitegold Project

Location: St Austell

This ambitious ceramic art trail aims to fire up the fortunes of post-industrial St Austell through a plethora of public artworks dotted around the town, commissioned from both local makers and those further afield. Katie Treggiden took a tour inside the Place issue of Crafts magazine.

Cotehele Mill
Location: St Dominick, near Saltash

An oft-overlooked part of the medieval Cotehele estate, the Cotehele Mill houses workshops where visitors can watch craftspeople at work, explore their collection, or find a unique piece to take home. Basketmaker Ian Strugnell, potter Zane Hazeldine and chairmaker and wood craftsman Barry Mays are currently in residence at the mill.

Lucktaylor Ceramics
Location: St Buryan (between Penzance and Sennen) 

Crafts Council Directory maker Catherine Lucktaylor uses traditional handbuilding techniques in her practice such as pinching and coiling, drawing on her African heritage. The maker moved to Cornwall in 2007 where she began specialising in raku ceramics. She now hosts regular events where she demonstrates the Japanese firing process, while her ceramics are available through galleries in Cornwall, London and Scotland. Studio visits are available by appointment. (You can discover more Cornish makers by exploring our Directory.)