the clay-in-formation felt like it was both of the world and of me. the boundaries of my haptic self expanded to include the changing clay form and became indistinct, making it difficult to distinguish me from not-me. my eyes however lagged, still tending to see the clay as something beyond me. (paul louis march – playing with clay and the uncertainty of agency: a material engagement theory perspective [p140] – phenomenology and the cognitive sciences journal, Volume 18, pages 133–151, 2019. published online: 7 december 2017)

siderite cloud (new pond, lossenham, 2024)
palaeosol horizon (new pond, lossenham, 2024)

lossenham pottery project 2025 - year three

this year’s pottery project is being led by philip warren with a little help from russell burden
in september we executed a successful second firing of the twin stoke hole earth-kiln to plus 1040ºc (images below)
also see below for part II (2024/5) and part I (2023/4)
and here to view philip’s ongoing work for part III (2025/26)

lossenham pottery project - year two

location: lossenham farm
duration 2023 to 2025/26
project leads: russell burden & philip warren
funded by: the janus foundation
supported by: rye museum

year two objectives:
• a clay sample survey of lossenham
• local clay & slip material testing in a controlled kiln environment
• testing low temperature earthenware glazes
• a hybrid earth-based kiln to test early kiln architecture and various firing methods
• contemporary ceramic pieces made with lossenham clays
• exploring the making techniques of medieval kent and sussex pots
• experimenting with decorated tile production
• work developed by other artists
• open access project documentation

view to the river rother from the chosen kiln site (lossenham, spring 2024)

russell burden (landscape response)
philip warren (medieval response)

lossenham clay survey

location #1
location #2
location #3
location #5
location #6
location #7
location #8
location #9
location #10
location #11
location #12
location #13
location #14
location #15
location #16
location #17
location #18

location #19 - pure white lakebed clay

01: blue/grey clay (2022). iron pond bank. ///cookbooks.trouser.copper
02: pale brown/grey clay (2022). priory field kiln site. ///flattens.tastier.kidney
03: coarse pale clay with yellow sand pockets. ditch at end of wooded track. ///serious.utensil.plays
04: pale clay with fine ochre sand inclusions. southern slipway to lake. ///hazelnuts.renamed.palace
05: pale clay with yellow/brown sand. ditch between castle toll and primrose marsh. ///converter.logbook.tomato
06: off white/pale grey clay. north-west corner of brick hilly paddock. ///sigh.cheetahs.moment
07: red palaeosol extracted from mottled white/red/yellow clays. north bank of new pond. ///lousy.inflates.else
08: red/yellow/white clays mixed. north bank of new pond. ///zinc.famines.shirtless
09: pale mottled grey clay. south bank of new pond. ///reconnect.fuss.exclaim
10: mid grey clay. ditch spoil heap by side of river rother. ///gallons.protect.butlers
11: mottled clay mixed to buff. base of ditch by side of river rother. ///holds.loose.widely
12: mid grey clay. east bank of priory field pond. ///sizes.elbowing.jolt
13: pale yellow ochre clay. new drainage pond. ///aware.refreshed.area
14: fine white powdery material. leached from bank behind granary cottage. ///nets.plankton.raced
15: off white and buff white with minor pale yellow inclusions. ditch spoil below farmhouse ///lightly.northward.embarks
16: dark blue-grey clay with black mottling, oxidises to dark brown. eastern levels ditch spoil. ///imprinted.lifeboats.pink
17: salmon red palaeosol. horizon in trench east of helipad. ///observes.endearing.agents
18: grey to yellow ochre sideritic concretions kiln roasted to hematite. bank behind granary cottage. ///opponent.repeat.swells
19: white clay separated out from ochre clay. lakebed west slipway. ///studio.deflated.defends

clay sampling & processing

bulk clay processing tank & evaporation pool

(approximately 6x 18kg bags per sample)
bulk one as sample #10 ///gallons.protect.butlers – ditch spoil heap by side of river rother, mid grey clay
bulk two as sample #8 ///zinc.famines.shirtless – north bank of new pond, yellow/white/red clay (mixes to ochre yellow/brown)
bulk three as sample #4 ///hazelnuts.renamed.palace – southern slipway to lake, pale clay with fine ochre sand inclusions
bulk four as sample #13 ///aware.refreshed.area – spoil heap from new drainage pond, brown-orange ochre clay

clay & mineral tests

clay test bars

damp unfired clay test bars (lossenham, 2024)

bone dry unfired clay test bars (lossenham, 2024)

1040ºc fired test bars (lossenham, 2024)

building the kiln

testing and firing the kiln

kiln

the lossenham pottery mark

russell burden - geological materials research and artistic response

philip warren - medieval pottery research and making techniques

2022 - lossenham pottery project - year one

location: priory field, lossenham farm
duration: spring – autumn 2022
project lead: russell burden
head volunteer: philip warren
volunteers: eight
studio facilities and support: alan parris & billy byles at aylesford pottery
funded by: the janus foundation
facilitated by: isle heritage cic (archaeologists)
project focus: experimental archaeology relating to – 12th/13th century pottery industry of kent & sussex and potsherds/tile found at lossenham on the dig site of st.mary’s carmelite friary (1245-1538)

year one objectives:
1: kent and sussex clay research
2: prove a workable clay body from the lossenham geology
3: build a slow (hand driven) potters wheel
4: invite archaeologists, historians and potters to the project
5: demonstrate & facilitate: hand building, tile making, throwing
6: make pots and tiles
7. prove an earth kiln firing to earthenware temps using wood from the landscape
8. project documentation

clay samples 2022
……………………………………………………….
sample 1: ///cookbooks.trouser.copper – iron pond bank, blue/grey clay
……………………………………………………….
sample 2: ///flattens.tastier.kidney – priory field, pale brown/grey clay