The Brooke Pottery Introduce the Brooke Oblong Planter At RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2007

Giant Handmade Urns with a Contemporary Edge

The latest collection of giant English urns from The Brooke Pottery are classically designed with a strong contemporary edge. The combination of scale and intensity of colour creates a unique fusion of styles.

All the urns are handmade from terracotta clay using the traditional skills of hand throwing on a potter’s wheel, or coiling and press moulding. The urns are then fired to a high temperature and glazed with a variety of vibrant colours.

These techniques ensure that each urn possesses a spirit of individuality.

To See further details of the Urns – CLICK HERE

Alexander Macdonald-Buchanan

Alexander has worked as a professional potter for the last ten years. He started training in potteries in London and Buckinghamshire before undertaking a three year apprenticeship at Froyle Pottery, Hampshire. This was continued in North Island, New Zealand where he first started working on a larger scale. Alexander founded The Brooke Pottery in 1996. After contributing works to successful joint shows in Ledbury and London, a first solo show followed in Cork Street, London in 1999.

Chelsea 2007
THE BROOKE POTTERY situated in the dramatic and beautiful North York Moors countryside is owned and run by potter Alexander Macdonald-Buchanan, who started the pottery workshop in 1996. This will be his ninth year exhibiting at the Chelsea Flower Show and the first unveiling of the huge ‘Brooke Oblong Planter’ – the largest pot ever made at the Brooke Pottery. It stands 1.62m tall x 1.24m long x .67m deep.

The new Brooke Oblong Planter started life on paper in November 2006. A wooden mock-up model was then made from which a plaster cast mould was formed, into which the clay was coiled and pressed to build up the structure of the pot. After ten days the mould was broken, the pot then fettled (finished off by tweaking smoothing and trimming), left to dry for six weeks and then fired for a preliminary 17hrs on a low heat (150 degrees centigrade) to get the moisture content to under two percent. Biscuit firing then takes place at 1100 degrees centigrade. The Kiln takes two days to cool down, then the pot comes out and is ready to be glazed with the Brooke Pottery’s own recipe glazes, which come in signature colours of cream, green, blue, acid yellow And black. Final firing of the newly glazed pot is for 26 hours to 1070 degrees centigrade.

Making such a large and unusual shaped hand made pot is fraught with potential pit falls, such as potentially fatal hairline cracks appearing at any point during the drying and firing processes, but so far so good and Alexander is hoping that the first Brooke Oblong Planter will be ready in time for Chelsea 2007!

The Brooke Oblong Planter will join the other classical and large Brooke Pottery Urns such as the Oil Jar, Cylinders (small and large) the Bowl, Tub and Planter, all of which are totally handmade from terracotta clay using the traditional skills of hand throwing on a potter’s wheel, or coiling and press moulding. These techniques ensure that each urn possesses a spirit of individuality but also boasts a contemporary twist. The combination of scale and intensity of colour, creates a unique fusion of styles.

Besides contributing to joint exhibitions in London and Ledbury, Alexander has also had a solo show in Cork Street, London. Recent commissions include two large urns for the Orangery at Lord Beaverbrook’s Cherkley Court in Surrey, the Grosvenor House Hotel, London and a new luxury hotel in Mexico. Works have also been commissioned for private homes and gardens in America, Hong Kong, Australia, Portugal, Spain, Italy, France, Ireland and Sweden.

Alexander’s stunning pots have featured on The Evening Standard’s gold medal winning garden at the Chelsea Flower Show in 1997 designed by Xa Tollemache. The Royal Opera House Covent Garden, Sandy Lane Hotel, Barbados and the Asprey store in New York are just a few of the locations showcasing the Brooke Pottery’s work. Interior Designers such as Nina Campbell Colefax & Fowler, Mlinaric, Henry & Zervudachi are amongst the eminent interior designers that Alexander collaborates with; as well as world famous garden designer Arabella Lennox-Boyd.

Works have been commissioned for private homes and gardens in countries throughout the world including America, Hong Kong, Portugal, Spain, Italy, France, Ireland and Sweden.