County Hall Pottery is a groundbreaking initiative that has established London’s historic County Hall as a vibrant ceramics destination.
Our ceramics gallery and pottery studio opened its doors during London Craft Week in 2024. 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 rotating exhibitions, pop-up markets, community engagement initiatives and a ‘potter in residence’ programme.
The expansive 1,800 square foot gallery space serves as a hub for ceramics enthusiasts, artists, and the local community alike, while the studio is a space for pottery classes and learning.
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
Yasemin Gava
Artist in Residence
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.