Persabus Farm

The Pottery and Art Studio

The old stone building which is now the pottery studio and art studio, would have originally housed several families. A large stone wall used to seperate it in two.

During the history of the farm one side was used as a stable for the Clydesdale horse. The horse pulled the plough in the fields when Donald’s grandfather ran the farm. The other side of the stone building housed a boiler which was used for boiling the animal feed in the winter months.

Donald’s sister, Linda Fletcher, started Persabus Pottery on the farm in the 1970s. His late mother took over the pottery when Linda left for the mainland. Back then, the pottery produced slab clay work. Iomhair and Arra, Donald’s brothers, ran the pottery from the 1990s onwards. They used slip clay, and built and hand carved their own moulds. Arra and Iomhair designed and made a lot of the pottery water jugs for the distilleries and sold pottery in their workshop. Small batches of the old pottery are still produced at Persabus and are available to buy.

Rosemary has been running the pottery for over ten years. She hand paints pieces with her own Islay inspired designs, the business has evolved and grown, and now offers a workshop space for mixed media art courses and pottery painting experiences, alongside the variety of ceramics, original art and prints onsale.

Location

Persabus boasts a secluded position a mile from the ferry terminal at Port Askaig, surrounded by farmland, with views of the Paps of Jura and the Sound of Islay. It is an ideal location for enjoying bird watching and wildlife.