Our Story

Hi I’m Laura 👋 and I make all the ceramics here at 53° North.

My ceramic journey began back in 2016 after leaving a long term job to pursue an apprenticeship, little did I know at the time that it would be in ceramics! 

I had dabbled in clay work back at college as part of my level 3 in Art and Design and after specialising in textiles I realised that it was pottery that caught my attention more.

In January 2016 a lightbulb moment came after seeing a unusual mug online and i decided that was what I wanted to do, at this point I began searching for a creative workshop that would take me!

At the time I was living in chesterfield about a 10 min walk away from Chatsworth road, which just so happens to have a small pottery studio (JMJ pottery) run by the wonderful Janine Manion Jones.

After a long shot asking for work and a few more conversations over some lessons Janine decided to take a leap and took me on as an her apprentice.

I have since completed 2 separate apprenticeship courses along side Janine, 1 in Production Pottery and the other in Design.

Assisting in running lessons and the everyday duties of a pottery technician has all helped me build up the skills and confidence to grow into 53° North Ceramics.

Creating is my passion and whilst 53 North Ceramics is about appreciating and practicing the skills passed down from generations i couldn’t do this without the help of my partner Tom, my sounding board cameraman and social’s guru, we strive to share all we can with you and to keep creating pieces that bring you joy when you use them!

We are excited to see what the future holds for us and we hope you follow along for the journey!