Following on from the previous post about Doctor's Vennel, it's worth revisiting a topic covered before - the Largo Pottery. Before the pottery moved into the Doctor's Vennel buildings, Anne Lightwood (pictured above) threw pots in an outbuilding in her garden at 57 Main Street Lower Largo. The products were then sold in a small shop at 68 Main Street (latterly the Baptist Church Hall but recently demolished - shown in the photograph below).
Largo Pottery was established in 1972 and the photograph above of potter Anne Lightwood was featured four years later in the East Fife Mail of 21 January 1976. In this newspaper piece, Anne described how, after Christmas, she now had to build up as much stock as possible before re-opening the shop at Easter. She noted that it was not worth having the shop open between Christmas and Easter so they "try to make as much stock as possible and every year we hope we have enough to last us through the summer season. We never do though." Apparently, the pottery had doubled output every year since opening and still there was nothing left by the time that the last of the summer visitors left.
During this era the style of the pottery was "natural colours" and "warm earthy browns, beiges, greens and yellows" - all done to Anne's own designs. See image below of an earthenware vase with brushwork decoration. Having studied at Edinburgh Art College, Anne increasingly specialised in pottery from around 1965, following further study in London. As well as running her own business, Anne was a founding member and secretary of the Scottish Crafts and Potters Association (which is still going strong today).
In 1978, the derelict Doctor's Vennel buildings were purchased and were remodelled over many months into a workshop, studio and showroom for the pottery. These upgraded facilities enabled output to increase significantly. Largo Pottery was now able to be sold, not just in Largo itself, but through many shops around Scotland. The increased space also allowed pottery demonstrations to take place. However, on the evening of 28 June 1984, fire broke out and gutted the entire premises. Much of the stock was destroyed in the blaze, including valuable porcelain stock and, sadly, many photographs, text books and glazing recipes. The photograph below of firemen at the scene appeared in the following week's East Fife Mail.
Surviving stock was sold through Gillies Studios further along Main Street during the following summer months. Anne Lightwood ultimately relocated her pottery business to St Andrews and went on to specialise in the medium of porcelain paperclay (writing a book on the topic). Anne passed away in 2016. Do you have memories of the pottery at Largo? Do you own a piece of Largo Pottery? If so - or if you have any photographs of the pottery premises or original shop - please do get in touch.
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