Dennis with his
eyes closed

Dennis Townsend (b.1933) is one of the most respected of the Rye Potters. He started work at Rye Pottery in 1947, joining David Sharp as a fellow apprentice.

His career with Rye Pottery followed much the same pattern as David Sharp's - he went away to do his National Service when he was twenty-one, at the end of his apprenticeship, but stayed for only three years when he returned. Rye pottery could not afford to support too many fully qualified potters, so he left to form Iden Pottery.

For those of you old enough to remember the BBC TV 'Interlude' footage of a potter's wheel, Dennis's hands were the ones throwing the pot.

Further Reading:

The Potteries of Rye, 1793 onwards by Carol Cashmore