County Hall Pottery is a groundbreaking initiative that has established London’s historic County Hall as a vibrant ceramics destination.
Located on London’s South Bank overlooking the River Thames, County Hall Pottery marks a new chapter in the revitalisation of this historic site. With a vision to celebrate and support the art of pottery in all its forms, the organisation – which has been funded by County Hall Arts – offers a dynamic range of offerings including a nomadic gallery, pop-up markets, community engagement initiatives and a ‘potter in residence’ programme.
The studio continues as a place for ceramic artists and makers to develop their practice. Through an extensive programme of masterclasses, workshops and opportunities for learning, we aim to provide potters at every stage with the opportunity to deepen their skills, experiment with new processes and learn from leading practitioners. The studio is also home to a selection of large-scale kilns and monthly project desk space, available for artists looking for access to specialist firing facilities beyond their own studios.
County Hall Pottery is evolving. Our commitment to supporting artists, championing exceptional ceramic practice and connecting our community with collectors remains at the heart of what we do.
Following the closure of our permanent gallery space in June 2026, County Hall Pottery is now continuing as a nomadic gallery and platform for contemporary ceramics, bringing our programme and artists to new audiences through fairs, exhibitions and collaborations.
We look forward to seeing our collectors and friends at Ceramic Brussels in January 2027, followed by Collect at Somerset House in February 2027, with further exhibitions, fairs and collaborations to be announced.
As we enter this next chapter, we are also exploring new ways to bring the County Hall Pottery community together, from temporary exhibition spaces and collaborations to new places in which to present and experience ceramics.
If you have a space that you think could become a home for a County Hall Pottery exhibition, we would love to hear from you.
County Hall Pottery is changing location, not direction.
Meet the team
Emma Louise Payne
Creative Director
Emma Louise Payne is the driving creative force behind County Hall Pottery. She obtained an MA in Ceramic design in Copenhagen where she learned to push the possibilities of ceramics. Whilst also being an accomplished product designer, Emma’s work investigates and stretches the physical boundaries of material and detail. Bringing her deep knowledge, experience and sensibility that changes not just the visual and tactile surface of the clay, but in many cases enchanting the architectural environment in which it sits. She works from her rural studio surrounded by apple trees near Henley-on-Thames.
Alex Simpson
Studio Director / Head of Programming
Alex Simpson is a British/Austrian Artist who lives and works in London. She graduated with an MA in Ceramics & Glass from the Royal College of Art in 2015. Recent exhibitions include: Loose Ends, Thames Side Studios Gallery London, Undertow Unit 1 Gallery London and Pieces of Earth Taatisten Tila, Finland. This summer she is undertaking a residency at MenLo, Jingdezhen China. She is also a non-executive director of Gaada, a visual arts workshop in Shetland, and an educator in ceramics.
Jihyun Kim
Gallery Assistant
Karin Taylor
Gallery Assistant
Elif Esmez
Technician
Jane Harris
Technician
Heather Gibson
Kiln Technician
Clare Flatley
Administrator
Potter-in-Residence 2025-2026
Charly Blackburn
We are delighted to introduce Charly Blackburn, our second potter in residence.
Charly sees a disconnect between the resource superpowers that modern technology depends on and our collective material intelligence. Through ceramic sculptures and material experiments, she celebrates the metals and minerals that are not only responsible for mind-blowing technological advancements but similarly for fascinating ceramic transformations.
Originating from The Fens, dubbed the UK’s agricultural flatlands. Charly fled to the city to study Performance Design at Central Saint Martins, later receiving a scholarship to complete a Master’s in Ceramics & Glass at the Royal College of Art.
Her work has been exhibited at Messums Gallery and the Art Institute of Chicago (in collaboration with Himali Singh Soin), and she has co-curated two geological art exhibitions: Seismic Mother and Bog Bodies. Alongside her studies, Blackburn has worked as a technical fabricator, design mentor, and art conservator, with expertise that continue to inform and enrich her ceramic practice.
In her project Developing Rare Earth Elements in Ceramic Glazing, Blackburn seeks to celebrate the rare earths whilst critically examining their dominance in modern society. She is fascinated by their magical, luminescent and light-reactive properties, and delivers tangible and colourful connection through her glazed ceramic pieces.