Booking Recommended to guarantee a table
​
Paint-a-Pot studio on board a
permanently moored, contemporary styled narrowboat
For all children aged from 0 to 100 years
Staffordshire Term Time Opening Hours -
​
Wednesday - 10am to 5pm Sunday - Parties Only
Thursday - 10am to 5pm Monday - Closed
Friday - 10am to 5pm Tuesday - Closed
Saturday - 10am to 5pm
​
Next School Holidays 2024
Open Mon to Sat - Monday 28th Oct to Saturday 2nd Nov
​
​
The Promenade, Barton Marina
Barton under Needwood
DE13 8AS
Tel: 01283 711341
WhatsApp or Text: 07715 581512
Bookings STRONGLY Recommended
Follow us on our Social Media
for all our latest news and events
How Much is it?
Prices for pottery vary on the size and shape of the piece. We do have a handful of cheaper pieces but have an excellent choice and range starting at £15.50 each.
All items on our sample shelves have prices clearly shown, so you know how much you are committing to before you start.
If you would like us to finish a hand or footprint design, then we charge a small Personalisation Fee to cover our time. These start at just £1.50
What can we choose from?
We have nearly 400 different shapes on the Boat all year round. We have the usual Mugs (about 2 dozen in various sizes and shapes), Plates (round/square/rectangle/heart/star/etc), Bowls (round/heart/star/cereal/etc), Teapots (1 cup/2 cup/4 cup), Butter Dishes, Salt & Pepper Pots, Vases, Photo frames, Plant Pots plus lots of other useful Tableware items.
And then we have our fun stuff - Cute Animals, Princesses, Monsters, Dinosaurs, Unicorns, Butterflies, Fairies and Fairy Houses, Dragons, Word Plaques (love, family, dream etc) Clocks, Trinket Boxes, Tealights, Money Boxes, Figurines, every letter of the Alphabet, plus lots more!
AND THEN IN SEPTEMBER - CHRISTMAS ARRIVES!
We have Santas, Reindeers, Snowman, Christmas Trees, Gingerbread Men, bowls, plates, mugs, Word Plaques (Let it snow, HoHoHo, etc) -
bringing the total amount of shapes to nearly 400!!
How many people can fit on the Boat?
We have tables that rearrange to suit any size Group Booking.
We regularly have groups such as Rainbow, Cubs, Brownies, Scouts, Guides, School Parties, Nurseries, NCT Groups, Team Building as well as Birthday Parties.
For Groups such as these we put our tables in a long line down the full length of the Boat which enables to us to seat approximately 28 people..
We do reserve the right to limit group numbers depending on the age of participants. This is to ensure your comfort, health and safety and enjoyment of your chosen activity.
What happens when we visit you?
Near our entrance we have shelves full to capacity of all the shapes we have on Board for you to choose from. We will give you some brief information to help you choose your project and then leave you in peace to choose what you would like to decorate. When you have chosen we take you to your own table (you don't share tables here) and fetch your chosen pottery from our stores at the back of the Boat. We will then give you brief instructions on how to get the best of your masterpiece - not all Studio's give the same instructions, if any, but we like to know you will be happy with the results when you collect your item. We will then leave you to enjoy your time creating your own unique personal Masterpiece. We leave you to it, you don't want us breathing down your neck. But we are on hand to help with any problems or give advice on how to achieve a particular 'look' you are after. We also love showing our customers new painting techniques and simple tricks to make a stunning but simple effect. Just ask us and we are willing to help. When you are finished we will write your name and ages (come on Grown-Ups 21 and three quarters is nothing to be ashamed of) and date underneath your pottery so that is placed in history and you will always remember when you made it. Acrylic Painted items are taken away on the day but if you have underglazed your pottery you need to leave it with us for Glazing and Firing. This takes about a week. We ask you to leave contact details with us so that when your pottery arrives back from the kiln we can send you a text message and then you collect at your convenience. However we do appreciate items being collected sooner rather than later as we are limited with storage space - don't forget we are on a narrowboat lol.
Can I take it today?
We have 2 ways to decorate your pottery -
-
Underglaze are special 'paints' for pottery which are lead free & give an excellent bright colours and shiny durable finish. These need to be left with us for glazing and firing. They will be ready for collection in about a week.
-
Acrylic Paint a decorative shape and you can take it away with you on the day.
Do we need to Book a Table?
Yes Please. People do just 'drop in' and we are happy to accommodate them if we have tables available. However, at Weekends & School Holidays we get particularly busy so booking is STRONGLY advised. We don't want you to be disappointed if we don't have any tables available if you arrive unannounced. A quick phone call before you set off will ensure we save a table for you for when you arrive.
If you are wanting to make keepsakes with you Baby's hand or foot Prints then booking is essential so we have Staff available to help you with the Prints.
Are you really on a Boat?
Yes, we are a Paint-a-Pot Studio on Board a 70ft Narrowboat which is permanently moored at Barton Marina, opposite Gallery 3 and the Butcher & Baker. We don't have an engine, so we don't move anywhere. We have the largest windows available to let natural light in and we are decorated in cream panels and light oak interior to give a modern fresh feel. During the colder weather we have heating on a thermostatic control to ensure we are all warm and snug. During the hotter weather we can take the glass out of the windows and a gentle breeze helps to keep us cooler than outside.
Is it just for Children?
Absolutely Not! Grown-Ups have more fun on here than the Children.
Grown-Ups find painting a piece of pottery very therapeutic and many Adults come on their own or with friends to have a bit of 'Me-Time'. Parents and Grand-Parents quite often paint whilst their younger companions paint - their is no age limits here!