Paint Your Own Pottery studios are spaces where you can come and choose a blank, unglazed piece of pottery, and paint it with your own design.

When you have finished painting, you leave your pottery at the studio, where it is dipped in clear glaze and fired in a kiln, so it comes out hardened and shiny as a fully food safe piece to use or display in your home.

We are a small studio so have a limited but varied stock of pottery available to choose from, which often changes due to demand and supplier availability.

We focus on stocking items that all serve a function, so usually have most dishware items such as mugs, plates, bowls and teapots.

We also have a rotating stock of different shaped money boxes, tea light lanterns, vases/planters, as well as seasonal items.

We can not always guarantee specific items will be in stock at the time of your visit.

If you are looking for something specific, get in touch and we may be able to order something in for you.

- A Paint & Sip session at The Hive lasts for 2 hours; please arrive promptly at 6pm.
- You will receive instruction, supplies and design support when you arrive.
- The deposit is non-refundable, but can be moved to another Paint & Sip if notice is given.
- The deposit covers your £5 Studio Fee, and £10 towards your choice of pottery
- You will choose the pottery you would like to paint on the night, and your £5 deposit will be deducted from the cost when you settle at the end of the session.
- Pottery will be fired and available to collect within 2-3 weeks.
- It is bring your own bottle, but we have glasses and a corkscrew available to use in the studio.
- We also offer a range of loose leaf tea, soft drinks, and you may bring in a drink from our downstairs, neighbours Overbite Brewery.

It’s £5 studio fee per person for two hours in the studio, plus the cost of your choice of pottery.

You pay a non-refundable deposit of £10 when you book. This covers your £5 Studio Fee, and £5 towards your choice of pottery, which will be deducted when you pay at the end of the session.

Most items range between £15-£25. Occasionally we have smaller items that price at £10, and larger items range up to £45.

You have two hours to paint your pottery, and you may paint more than one if you have the time.

If you find you need more than two hours, you may be able to stay a little longer if there is space in the next slot, or return another day within one month, at the cost of an additional £5 studio fee.

Booking is highly recommended and preferred, but you are always welcome to come by the studio and we’ll see if we have space! All booking is done via the website.

Large Groups:

We have a maximum of 12 seats available at the studio.

There is potential to squeeze to 14 seats , but the studio must be contacted via text or call to approve and arrange this extension.

Non-private events:

If you’d like to book for an event like a birthday or celebration, but don’t wish to have the place to yourselves, simply book as normal through the website for the date, time and amount of people in attendance.

Special arrangements:

If you would like to provide special arrangements for an event, for example a cake at the end of a session, decorations, specific pottery choices or a group project etc, please contact the studio via text or call to discuss and approve these arrangements.

Private events during opening hours:
If you would like to book a normal slot privately, you must book all 12 seats at the cost of a £120, non-refundable deposit, and have a minimum of 6 confirmed guests in attendance.

Private events outside of opening hours:

If you are looking to book a private event outside of normal bookable slots, please call or text the studio to discuss your proposed date and time.

Only one month in advance

As the studio is run by only Eloise, bookings are only taken up to a month in advance to retain flexibility and manage commitments.

If you are looking to book a date in the far future, you must wait until the month before your date and then book as normal via the website when it becomes available.

Limited capacity

Again, as the studio has only one member of staff, slots or days may be made unavailable due to illness or holiday.

Our address is:

Space 13, Bastion Mews,
Union Street,
Hereford,
HR1 2BT

Bastion Mews is located in the courtyard behind Dough cafe, and next to Shack Revolution. The entrance is between Dough cafe and Sink or Swim barbers. You will find us on the second floor of the container complex.

Here is a detailed visual guide.

Our opening hours are at the bottom of our website.

I leave this up to the discretion of the parent. If you think they are old enough, then all are welcome.

From experience, younger children (approx. 5 and under) tend to ‘abstract' paint pieces, and can finish quickly.

As the age increases, usually so does ability and patience.

Eloise is happy to draw designs out for little ones to paint, and then can offer lining services, and can capture children’s drawings with an underglaze pencil.

We can also do handprints and commissions.

Absolutely not! There will be hands on support available so anyone can create a beautiful piece to be proud of, no matter their artistic capability.

We have plenty of inspiration on our Pinterest page, and we will be able to advise you on ideas on the day if you need some help.

Unfortunately not.

Your piece will enter a queue of pottery, and will need to be:

1. Stamped with your information.

2. Hand dipped in clear glaze, and left for 24 hours to dry.

3. Loaded into the kiln, which takes 8 hours to run and another 20 hours to cool down.

   This means that turn around is an absolute minimum of 3 days.

   Due to our small kiln and staff disabilities (ADHD and Autism), we advise a window of 3 - 4 weeks for your pottery to be fired.

   If you need it sooner as a gift or travel needs, please let us know and we may be able to fast track your piece, however no guarantees can be made.

We will make multiple attempts to contact you, however if you have still not collected, or advised us of your intentions, after three months we will donate your pottery to charity.

Of course! In fact, we’ll be open extra days where possible to make sure we are available to everyone that’s looking for something fun to do in their time off.

Bird & Blend loose leaf tea is available to buy in store, and other soft drinks, but no food is allowed as grease can affect the finish of your piece.

Downstairs is the wonderful Dough Cafe and Overbite Brewhouse, and drinks from these businesses may be brought into The Hive.

During the Paint & Sip sessions, you are welcome to bring your own beverages.

We are happy for well-behaved pets to join us - but you must let us know in advance that they’re coming, as some days our cats Bea & Daisy are in the studio.

Please also be mindful that it is a small and often busy space.

We understand that some groups may have painters and spectators.

If you are not planning to paint, you will still need to pay the £10 deposit to secure a seat, and we will retain the £5 studio fee, however the other £5 will be deducted from a painters pottery.

We ask that there be no more than one non-painter per group so that our limited seats are available to those who are there to paint.

We ask that anyone under the age of 11 are accompanied by an adult, even if they are not painting.

Painters aged 11-15 will be required to provide a contact number of a parent or guardian, in case of emergency.

There is currently a step up the studio door, but we do intend to install a ramp when we have the funds. There is a disabled toilet to the side of the studio.

We do have the capability to do mobile events at other locations. Alternatively, Glazydays in Ledbury have full disabled access.

We would recommend hand-washing to preserve your design as long as possible, as dishwashers can strip ceramic over time.

If your piece can survive the 1200 degrees of the kiln, a microwave should not be it’s undoing.

Hereford City Centre has many parking facilities. The nearest are Gaol St, Venns Close, Bath Street car parks which are all within a 5 minute walk.

You can leave pushchairs safely outside the studio, which is beneath a canopy walkway.

We do not have high chairs due to lack of storage space.