David Leach
1911-2005
David Leach, eldest son of Bernard Leach was born in Tokyo, Japan, and came to England in 1920 for education at Dauntsey's School, Wiltshire. He began an apprenticeship with his father at the Leach Pottery St Ives, Cornwall, in 1930 and trained as a pottery manager at the North Staffordshire Technical College, Stoke-on-Trent, 1935-37. He subsequently managed the pottery, changing over from a wood-burning to an oil-burning kiln and modernising the workshop.
In 1955 he set up the Lowerdown Pottery at Bovey Tracey, Devon, where he became known for his porcelain.
He was chairman of the Craft Potters’ Association of Great Britain in 1967 and exhibited widely in the UK as well as abroad. In 1987 he was appointed an OBE for his work in studio pottery and his services to education.
