Pullens Yards Open Studios

Early Saturday morning I carved out a few treasured hours for myself and darted across London to Elephant & Castle for a visit to Pullens Yards Open Studios.

Pullens Yards were purpose built by businessman James Pullen in the late Victorian era. They were built with craftspeople and small traders in mind as live/work spaces.  Flats were built around cobbled yards with a door accessing workshops.  An arrangement that the modern day home worker would find enviable. Original occupants included cabinet makers, print makers, furniture restorers and bookbinders.

In 1970s, the buildings fell into disrepair and were bought by Southwark Council.  One yard was demolished but three remain - Clements Yard, Peacock Yard and Iliffe Yard. Happily, today the workshops are still occupied by a bustling creative community of designer makers, artists and small businesses. And the yards are protected by a conservation status that should keep the developers at bay.

I arrived super early. The old victorian cobbled yards were empty and the surrounding streets were quiet. Largely unchanged since Victorian times, the sense of history was omnipresent.  It was a cold, rainy morning, but I was pleased to have a few quiet moments to absorb this very special place.

With half an hour to spare, I grabbed a coffee from Louie Louie on the nearby Walworth Rd for a vital caffeine hit before returning to the yards to visit some of the open studios.  Here are a few of my favourites:

Jewellery by Frieda Munro

Frieda trained at Central St Martins. She makes necklaces in gold often featuring animals.  Buy the snake pendant as a meaningful gift for someone special. Historically, the snake is a symbol of rebirth, transformation, immortality and healing.

www.friedamunro.com

Earthernware pottery by Kate Scott

Kate specialises in a rare technique called mocha diffusion, a process that creates tree or fern like decorations onto pottery. This type of pottery is highly collectible.

 @katescott7251

Porcelain pottery by Viktoria Redman

Viktoria hand throws pieces out of porcelain and decorates them with repetitive dots and strokes using slips. Strong colours are created by mixing in stains and oxides. The pieces are finished with a transparent glaze and fired at a high temperature to give them a smooth lustre. The results are striking.

www.viktoriaredmanceramics.com

Wooden products by Do-Well Design

Jennie McDowell is the lady behind Do-Well Design. Jennie is a trained wood turner. She creates chopping boards, bowls, lamps and vases from offcuts that give them a distinctive striped pattern.

www.dowelldesign.co.uk

Jewellery by Fraser Hamilton

Fraser trained at Glasgow School of Art, Hiko Mizuno School of Art, Tokyo and Royal College of Arts London.  His distinctive gold pieces often feature mini sculptures of elements of the human form.  His hand necklace gently holding a heart shaped ruby has recently been selected by Vault Gucci to feature alongside other pieces by emerging talents from around the world.

 www.fraserhamiltonjewellery.com

Pullens Yards will be open again this summer. Visit www.pullensopen.org for further information.