Things to do · Shipston-on-Stour
Whichford Pottery
A working pottery in the village of Whichford, near Shipston-on-Stour, making hand-thrown frostproof terracotta flowerpots since 1976, with a stockyard, a shop, a café and courses.
One of the few places where you can watch potters throwing big terracotta pots by hand; come on a Wednesday or Thursday to see them at work with the Straw Kitchen open for lunch, then browse the seconds.
- Good: Open every day, 10am to 4pm, bank holidays included
- Good: Workshop open to visitors Monday to Friday; best Tuesday to Thursday
- Good: Seconds and bargains in the stockyard
- Worth knowing: The Straw Kitchen café opens Wednesday to Saturday only and takes no bookings
- Worth knowing: Pottery courses sell out; book ahead
About
Whichford Pottery makes hand-thrown terracotta flowerpots in the village of Whichford, in the hills south-east of Shipston-on-Stour. Jim and Dominique Keeling started it in 1976, after Jim trained at Wrecclesham Pottery in Farnham, and their son Adam and daughter Theodora now lead a team of more than 25 makers. The pottery prepares its own clay, throws more than 600 designs from seedpans to giant urns, and guarantees its pots against frost for ten years.
Visitors are welcome every day from 10am to 4pm. The workshop is open from Monday to Friday, and Tuesday to Thursday are the best days to watch the throwers, decorators and clay-makers at work. The stockyard is full of pots, including seconds and one-offs, and the Octagon shop sells work by other British makers. The pottery's website lists no admission charge.
The Straw Kitchen, a café that Maia, the Keelings' eldest daughter, and her partner Christine built from straw bales in an old barn at the end of the car park, serves brunch, lunch and cake. It opens Wednesday to Saturday, 10am to 4pm, with food until 3pm, and is closed Sunday to Tuesday. It takes no reservations and has only a few seats inside, with more outside under a covered terrace. Allow an hour or two with lunch.
To try the wheel, the Kiln Shed runs one-day introductions to throwing, 11am to 3pm, for £145 (2026), with dates on 30 October and 13 November 2026 (November had sold out when we checked) and in January and February 2027, and longer beginners' courses from £275. They sell out, so book well ahead.
Opening hours and season
| Monday | 10:00 to 16:00 |
|---|---|
| Tuesday | 10:00 to 16:00 |
| Wednesday | 10:00 to 16:00 |
| Thursday | 10:00 to 16:00 |
| Friday | 10:00 to 16:00 |
| Saturday | 10:00 to 16:00 |
| Sunday | 10:00 to 16:00 |
Open daily 10am to 4pm, bank holidays too. The workshop is open to visitors Monday to Friday; potters are most often at work Tuesday to Thursday.
Facilities
- The Straw KitchenStraw-bale café, Wednesday to Saturday 10am to 4pm, food to 3pm; no reservations; covered terrace
- The OctagonWork by British ceramicists, textiles, jewellery and garden tools
- Courtyard gardenSeasonal planting to walk round
The details
- Time to allow
- One to two hours, with lunch
- Features
- Café · Shop · Garden or terrace
- History
- Founded in 1976 by Jim and Dominique Keeling
Photos
The stockyard 
The Octagon shop 
The workshop 
The courtyard garden
Location
Nearby walks, places and things to do
- Cotswolds Distillery 2.3 km away
Sights nearby
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The Rollright Stones
Sight · Hill fort or barrow · The Oxfordshire Cotswolds
The Rollright Stones are three prehistoric monuments on a ridge on the Oxfordshire and Warwickshire border, built over nearly 2,000 years: the Whispering Knights burial chamber of about 3800 BC, the King's Men circle of about 2500 BC and the King Stone. Open daily; small fee.