A SPECIAL anniversary being marked at Winchcombe Pottery this year will see a specially crated gift wend its way to Buckingham Palace.

A specially thrown Winchcombe jug is to be made by workshop manager Matt Grimmitt and sent to the Queen to mark her 90th birthday as the pottery also celebrates 90 years of continued production.

Although there has been a pottery on the site in Beckett's Lane for more than 200 years, it had closed prior to the Great War and was sold to a local farmer in 1923.

The current buildings were rented to Michael Cardew in 1923 with the ambition of creating pottery for everyday use using clay dug on site. Pots were fired in the two-storey bottle kiln, which is still standing, but has not been fired since 1954.

By 1936 he had been joined by Charlie Tustin and Ray Finch.

After Cardew left in 1939 to set up a pottery at Wenford Bridge, another war interrupted the business and restarted again in 1946 under the guidance of Finch.

Today the pottery is in the hands of Mike Finch, son of Ray, and together with Mr Grimmitt, potter John Forster and trainee Daisy Martell produces 63 shapes of stoneware which are displayed in the on-site shop and range from egg cups to salt pots, bowls, plates, jugs, pie dishes and tea and coffee pots. They will be joined by another trainee this spring.

The pottery has a number of retail outlets and exhibition venues. The next one will feature at The Guild @ 51 shop and gallery at Cheltenham Museum between April 19 and June 5, as well as a display at The Court Barn Museum, at Chipping Campden, from April 16 to June 5 as part of the Michael Cardew: The Winchcombe Years exhibition.

Speaking about the Queen's gift, Mr Grimmitt said: "It will be a jug, a typical Winchcombe-style jug, though much larger, around two feet tall and unique."

"The artwork has still to be discussed, but I am looking forward to making it," he said. "We have made commemorative pieces before for her jubilee celebrations but this will be a personal gift for her."

The pottery no longer uses clay from the site because of impurities which caused holes to appear in the firing. "This was acceptable for farmhouse ware but not for the stoneware we produce so we buy the clay in and prepare it on site. We mix all our own glazes and use electric kilns for firing," Mr Grimmitt explained.

The pottery also uses a wood-fired kiln which give a unique finishes to the glazes.

He said the recent TV contest, the Great Pottery Throw Down, has created much more interest in pottery. He already runs Saturday morning pottery classes, but is considering starting an evening class to meet demand and perhaps pottery courses.