2 VISITOR ATTRACTIONS NEWS
ELLEEK Pottery has been welcoming visitors from across the world to the unique village of Belleek, nestled by the banks of Lough Erne in Co Fermanagh, since 1857. The four-star Visitor Centre offers a fascinating insight into the world of Belleek and the process that takes place to deliver our world famous product. On arrival visitors are immediately struck by the vast nature and heritage that exists within the building itself, the bell that hangs in the main reception area for the last 100 years calls time for the pottery’s guided factory tour.
The guided tour takes the visitor on a 30 minute tour of the manufacturing process that takes place to produce Belleek. All tours have a personal guide that will firstly explain what the visitor is about to experience.
From the beginning the visitors can see, hear and touch the product throughout the tour. Sixteen individual artisans hand- crafts each piece of Belleek Pottery, a process that has changed very little since 1857.
Concept and design begin the process, which leads to a mould being made for every specific piece of china.
The creation of master moulds is a very slow and precise procedure and is completed by hand. Moulding a piece of Belleek can take a craftsman anything from two days to two months.
Casting and Fettling the china is the next stage in this delicate process. Liquid casting slip is poured into the mould and the 'skin' left behind forms the china. Casting slip's main ingredients are China Clay from Cornwall, Feldspar from Norway, Potash and Water. The Fettling
process involves the removal of any seams, raw edges or excess clay.
Throughout the tour, visitors are invited talk to the master craftspeople, touch and feel the china.
July/August 2016 Travel News
IRELAND’S OLDEST WORKING POTTERY B
The expert craftspeople travel the world demonstrating their skill and the traditions of Belleek Pottery. The most delicate craft in the process is Basket Making and Flowering.
Complex patterns and strands, beautiful flowers; leaf by leaf, stem by stem and petal by petal mean every piece is truly unique, no two pieces are exactly the same, making the Belleek brand distinct and easily recognisable throughout the world. When the Fettling process is complete, the pieces are then kiln fired in two stages. First firing is for 24 hours at 1200 degrees centigrade, second firing is for 10 hours at 1000 degrees centigrade.
Quality control is carried out on each piece individually, visitors are invited to participate in the breaking of 'seconds', pieces of Belleek that have not passed the quality control stage.
The tour then reaches its final stage, in our painting department. Observe the master craftspeople decorating and applying the paint in delicate brushstrokes to produce the final piece of Belleek Pottery.
The Visitor Centre at Belleek Pottery offers the visitor an unique experience whilst visiting the Fermanagh Lakelands. The museum, houses a collection of the finest Belleek every produced over the last 160 years. From the beginning Belleek produced a wide range of domestic and toiletry wares to earthenware.
Examples of all the pieces are on display in the museum, along with many genuine
Belleek Pottery is Ireland’s oldest working pottery - welcoming visitors since 1857
artefacts from its founding days. The Belleek Visitor Book; 1868-1884 is a popular attraction in the museum. The book records the visit of The Earl & Countess of Spencer, the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland and his wife on May 12th 1870. After their visit to Belleek they placed an order for a dinner service with his family crest and a porcelain tea service of the Echinus pattern also with his family crest, thus endorsing the brand Worldwide.
The Belleek retail showroom is a modern, stylish retail outlet, displaying the vast product range of Belleek products for sale.
From tableware collections to basketware, you will be sure to find a gift for any event or special occasion. They also offer tax free shopping and shipping for international customers, delivering your Belleek product straight to your door worldwide.
To finish off your visit to Belleek, the restaurant offers a selection of hot and cold food during the week and soup and sandwiches at weekends.
They also have a scrumptious selection of baked goods and sweet treats to accompany your tea and coffee and all served on Belleek tableware.
A visit to Belleek Pottery is sure to be a memorable one for all age groups, with something for everyone to enjoy.
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