Cult Shop: Handmade pottery in a Maltese palace

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On a quiet, tree-lined street in the town of Attard, Malta, stretches a long, crenellated wall that belongs to Villa Bologna, an 18th-century palace. Cut into the limestone blocks, a scalloped window offers a glimpse into one of the oldest pottery workshops in the country.

Ceramic Villa Bologna was founded in 1924 by Margaret Hulton, wife of future Prime Minister Gerald Strickland, to provide employment for a local community struggling to find work after the war. After heavy bombing during the subsequent world war, Hulton’s stepdaughter, Cecilia de Trafford, moved the business to the stables in the family villa, reviving it with the help of British ceramicist Charles Bone and his wife and sculptor Sheila Mitchell, and reopening it in 1951. He was particularly inspired by the surrounding flora and fauna, imbuing the pieces with a distinctive Mediterranean character. The pottery has remained in the family ever since and in the old stables.

More recently Sophie and Rowley Edwards, friends of Cecilia’s grandson Jasper of Trafford, have taken over the pottery and rejuvenated it for a modern audience. Today, the light-filled shop is packed with colorful ceramics and is housed in the same building as the workshop, where a team of locals artists he continues to make and paint the pieces by hand on site. “Having the production and workshop connected creates an immersive experience,” says Sophie.

Famous pieces include turquoise lamps inspired by the dolphin pond in the garden of Villa Bologna (from £270); the now iconic 1970s pineapple lamp (from £340); sailboat lamps painted with evil eyes, a talismanic symbol believed to protect fishermen (from £485); and fish-shaped Glug Glug jugs (from £48). Particularly popular are the pasta plates, trays and bowls (from £22, £58 and £26) adorned with fruit or jumping fish, conceived by the late Aldo Cremona, one of Villa Bologna’s greatest painters, who worked there for 65 years and was formed. a strip of talent Sophie says that she loves to mix and match designs: “You can completely change the look of the table with different combinations.”

This feeling of creating beautiful handmade things for the home is in my DNA.

Each piece of traditional pottery takes several weeks to make; The ceramics are poured into their molds using Stoke-on-Trent clay and allowed to dry before being hand-painted, fired, glazed and re-fired. “The production technique hasn’t changed in decades and with so many ceramics now being mass-produced, there are few potteries that still hold up to these standards,” Rowley says.

The Edwards have expanded the range of ceramics, and complemented with household items such as individual tablecloths woven in Colombia. As well as delving into the rich archive of traditional motifs, they have introduced new ones such as stripes and palm trees, evoking the spirit of the island in their own way. “Villa Bologna Pottery has always been a part of my life,” says Sophie, who spent her early childhood in Malta and still remembers the pair of pineapple lamps by her mother’s and father’s bedside. Her parents are Christopher and Suzanne Sharp, who founded The Rug Company, and from a young age Sophie watched them work with artisans from all over the world. “For me, this journey and the feeling of creating beautiful handmade things for the home are in my DNA,” she says.

In addition to the store renovation, an e-commerce website was created and a restaurant opened next door. the trattoria It serves Italian wines and seasonal dishes such as sea bass with saffron, red peppers and basil, and much of the produce is grown on Villa Bologna’s grounds. Of course, everything is served in the Villa Bolonia crockery. “Sitting at a table and eating local produce on our plates is a lovely way for people to experience Malta,” says Sophie, “and it’s a pottery renaissance.”

Ceramic Villa Bologna, 30 Triq San Anton, Attard, Malta; villabolognapottery.com