SET Ceramics

SET Ceramics is a contemporary, community pottery studio tucked inside a former cobbler’s shop near Fenchurch Street Station. It’s a space for anyone wanting to spend meaningful time making, serving as both a genuinely affordable workspace for our members and an artist-led environment to learn, experiment, and develop work in clay.

Established to ensure creative culture remains accessible within the Square Mile, we welcome independent makers alongside complete beginners looking to begin their journey and get comfortable with clay. The studio is fully equipped with four pottery wheels, a 220-litre kiln, handbuilding stations, and dedicated glazing facilities, offering a mix of studio memberships, courses, private sessions, team workshops, and flexible kiln hire.

Explore our courses

Our courses are intentionally different from your standard pottery classes. Because they’re taught by practicing artists, each course is shaped by the tutor’s own unique approach, making the experience deeply personal, varied, and rooted in real studio practice. You’ll learn core technical skills while working on your own projects, with plenty of time to practice in a relaxed, focused setting.

True to SET’s charitable mission, all of our courses are priced as affordably as possible and are open to all skill levels. Classes are kept small with just 4 to 6 students, ensuring you get a high level of individual attention and the space to work at your own pace.

Follow the links below for full course details, availability, and pricing. Discounts apply for SET Studio Members and residents of the City of London.

4-Week Short Course: Wheel Throwing with Lin YingTong

An introduction to the wheel that approaches throwing as a rhythmic, somatic craft. Drawing on her training in Jingdezhen and influences from dance, Ying teaches the mechanics of clay through posture and movement, focusing on the connection between your body, the wheel, and everyday functional objects.

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4-Week Short Course: Coil Building and Material Exploration with Lauren McNicoll

Practice one of ceramics’ oldest handbuilding techniques in a course focused on process and play. Drawing on her background in sculpture and architecture, sculptor Lauren McNicoll will guide you through structural coiling, joining, carving, and core surface techniques. With space to create both functional and sculptural forms, you’ll learn to work with clay as a responsive material, turning unexpected results into new creative possibilities.

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Introduction to Wheel Throwing with Lewis Hayes

Learn wheel throwing from the ground up. This comprehensive 8-week beginner course covers the complete lifecycle of the wheel, from centring and forming vessels to the technical precision of trimming, decoration, and glaze application.

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Hand Building: Surface and Substance with Francisco Zhan

Whether you’re completely new to clay or looking to build confidence, this 8-week handbuilding course led by artist Francisco Zhan explores the relationship between form, texture, and surface design. Alongside core handbuilding techniques, you’ll experiment with slips, resists, sgraffito, and marbling, discovering how subtle adjustments to a silhouette, handle, or surface detail transform simple forms into distinct functional and sculptural pieces.

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Studio access and workshops

SET Ceramics offers different ways to engage with the studio, from independent membership and kiln hire to private classes and group sessions.

Studio memberships

Get regular access to a working ceramics studio with a dedicated bench, kiln use, and a supportive making community. For those with prior ceramics experience.

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Private classes

Bespoke, one-to-one or small group pottery sessions tailored entirely to you. Learn a specific wheel technique or explore handbuilding, guided step-by-step by a practicing artist.

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Kiln hire

If you make work elsewhere and simply need a reliable place to fire your pieces, we offer flexible kiln hire with options for single shelves or a full kiln.

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Team pottery workshops

Bring your colleagues for a hands-on wheel-throwing or handbuilding session. Workshops run for groups of 4 to 10 people, and everyone makes a piece of their own.

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