Bitter Beck Pottery opened in April 2006 in Cockermouth’s historic Market Place. All the work on sale is hand made on the premises. Visitors can see pieces being made, talk with Joan Hardie about her work and look through her sketchbooks of inspiring photos, some of which are available as prints.
The Bitter Beck runs behind the pottery into the River Cocker, which joins the river Derwent in Cockermouth, taking water from the fells around Buttermere, Crummockwater, Derwentwater and Bassenthwaite Lake to the Irish sea 5 miles to the west. The Bitter End brewery and pub is just round the corner.
Cockermouth is a gem town lying just outside the Lake District National Park and is an excellent centre for exploring the northern and western Lake District and the Solway Coast. Cockermouth is home to the Jennings Brewery and Wordsworth House, the birthplace of William and Dorothy Wordsworth. It is a very pleasant town to explore on foot, with riverside walks, buildings and features of historic interest, as well as galleries, independent shops, pubs, cafes and restaurants.
The tourist information centre is close to the pottery.
Find out more about Cockermouth at cockermouth.org.uk
