Shire Pottery began life in 1982 in our converted dining room in Tynedale, in the heart of rural Northumberland. We stored clay in the hall, and our kiln sat in an open-ended tin shed in the garden overlooking the length of Hexhamshire. Over the next two years we retailed our work in street markets, fairs and county shows.

By 1984 we had moved our workshop premises to an industrial unit in Corbridge, and domestic ware had given way to a range of hand-thrown terracotta garden pottery. We quickly established a healthy wholesale business, trading through independent garden centres. In 1986 we won a contract to supply 5 John Lewis Plc stores. By 1994 we were supplying John Lewis nation-wide, and we had begun an export arrangement with Japan.

In 1995 Shire Pottery trebled its Japanese export commitment. Our range of hand-thrown garden pots had expanded to include 50 different styles of tubs, bowls, strawberry and herb pots, wall pots and plaques. Our workshop team had expanded to four and a cat, and although a small player on an increasingly big stage, Shire Pottery continued to maintain a high profile in the market place.


In May 1997, with the support of the DTI, Shire Pottery was presented to Japan's trade buyers at a gardening showcase exhibition at the British Embassy in Tokyo. By 1998 we had shipped over 5,000 pieces to Tokyo department stores and garden shops. After 16 years and a personal output of 250,000 hand-thrown garden pots, Ivar Mackay looked for a new challenge. 

Early in 1998 Ivar Mackay cleared his workshop and began to experiment with porcelain. In December 1998 we presented Ivar’s first solo show at the Queen's Hall in Hexham. Encouraged by the response, we began to look for premises where we could properly display Ivar's reduction-fired signature-piece porcelain. 

We opened our bright new gallery and studio in the historic town of Alnwick, Northumberland in October 1999. Over the next six years we showed Ivar's porcelain alongside a rolling programme of exhibitions of contemporary art. Soon other venues wanted his work, and success in solo shows at home and abroad led us, by 2006, to elect to close our own gallery in favour of Ivar's growing external exhibition agenda 

We do still welcome visitors to Ivar Mackay's home studio at Shire Pottery by appointment during normal working hours. Please telephone +44 (0)1665 602277, or email ivar.porcelain@btconnect.com to arrange a mutually convenient time.

For a more detailed history of Ivar Mackay's background and evolution as a maker click here