From the purple dyeshed...

First of all, I must apologise as in the previous post I referred to earthenware - of course it is stoneware which Highland STONEWARE produces - the clue is in the name.  As Dorell pointed out in her comment, stoneware is much stronger.  And to that end I do have a tale about Highland Stoneware.  In our early days of visiting Assynt we stayed in a huge house overlooking Stoer Beach - it was cold and draughty and way too big for the two of us, and we loved it!  The kitchen had a concrete floor, but this was more than made up for by the fact that the kitchen was fully kitted out with Highland Stoneware plates, cups, dishes, mugs and bowls.  Then came the dreaded moment when I dropped a plate on the concrete floor - not only did it not shatter into many pieces, but it appeared to bounce, before settling safely on the floor without any damage at all.  I knew then that it was tough stuff.

However ... back to my visit to the pottery.  Of interest to knitters who may be reading this blog, Kaffe Fassett and Brandon Mably have been visitors to the pottery not only taking time to work on designs inside as shown in this photograph from the book "Highland Stoneware":



but they also left their mark on the outside of the pottery building by making a mosaic all around the front of the building using pottery that was damaged during the making process:









This isn't the only art to be found outside of the pottery itself.  From the front door of the pottery you look out over a rather unusual seating area, complete with flatscreen TV:



This oversized lounge suite is perhaps not as comfortable as some, but it is colourful.  And on the TV is a never changing picture as a permanent reminder of the Scotland win at Wembley in 1977.



And the iconic Suilven can still be seen above the giant chair and sofa:








 

Some years back the Tourist Board (as it was then, now known as VisitScotland) asked the pottery to make it clearer as to exactly where the car park for the pottery was.  It was in the days when having your car scrapped cost your money, so some kind soul donated their Ford Escort as a model, and proper car park signage was erected:



Even the huge boulders that had to be moved when building the road and the pottery itself have not escaped!  They have all had a makeover:



and the view reminds you that the pottery has a stunning location overlooking Lochinver Bay:



Thank you, again, to David Grant, Dorell Pirie and all the staff who were so generous with their time while I was in the pottery.  If you are ever in Lochinver or Ullapool, make sure you have time to pop in and see the work done there.  You'll see real craftspeople working, and you will see the tins of glazes, boxes, knives, brushes, paints and all the inevitable mess found in a proper working environment - what you won't see is a sanitised process!

[caption id="attachment_6986" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Dorell at work[/caption]

Alongside the pottery is a house which is available to rent by holiday makers visiting the area, or other artists wanting to work in Assynt.  If you were to rent the house, this would be your view each day ..... can't really get much better!: