Places To Visit Off The Beaten Track
In a world of assembly lines and mass production, it is no surprise that many are turning to small businesses to find unique items and experiences that stray from the ordinary. History has made it abundantly clear that we humans champion the rare, the unusual, and anything that will set us apart from the rest.
Cornwall boasts hundreds of places off the beaten track that offer a diverse range of items to explore and activities to enjoy. From pottery studios to candle companies, here are five Cornish businesses to check out in 2023.
Reworked
Reworked was founded in 2016 by Sam Isaacs and features original lighting made from repurposed materials. Sam employs vintage motor lamps, flotsam, and even salvaged kitchen appliances to fashion the masterfully-constructed pieces.
Sam’s designs are one-of-a-kind and give a new lease of life to what would otherwise be unwanted items. In repurposing these materials, the artist is diverting waste away from scrapyards and landfills and extending the life of perfectly serviceable objects. Illuminate your space with lighting that doesn’t cost the planet.
With a wide range of forms, colours, shapes and sizes, REWORKED is a collection of unique and distinctive lamps that you won’t find anywhere else. Bright hues complement the metallic components of Sam’s creations and P.A.T testing ensures that the items are safe and fit for purpose.
Explore Sam’s designs on the REWORKED website and visit the stockists tab to find out where you can browse the lamps in store.
Emma Scott Creative Willow Craft
Emma Scott is a Cornish artist who draws inspiration from surrounding seascapes, woodlands and other natural landscapes. An attachment to rural and traditional crafts has lead Emma to pursue work with willow at the Mellingey Mill Willow Craft Centre.
Emma Scott Creative Willow Craft is the artist’s own studio where she creates her pieces and hosts workshops to teach others her craft. After five years of cultivation, Emma is able to source much of the willow she uses on-site at Mellingey and fashions it into different unique products including shoppers, baskets, kitchen storage, and waste paper bins.
In addition to more practical products, Emma also uses her skills to make attractive decorative works. She has created both living and brown willow sculptures, fences, lobster pots, and birdhouses.
If you feel like putting your creativity to the test, try one of Emma’s workshops at the Mellingey Mill Willow Craft Centre located between Padstow and Wadebridge. Learn how to make foragers baskets and sculptures including woven hearts, living willow hearts, plant support frames, and pea frames.
Head to the Emma Scott Creative Willow Craft website to learn more about Emma’s creations and how you can get involved.
Paul Jackson
Paul Jackson is a Cornwall-based pottery artist known for his dynamic ceramic forms.
Paul’s process is composed of two interrelated elements: throwing and decoration. Each pot starts out as simple white earthenware before its form is altered on the wheel, giving each piece a distinctive and unique appearance. Decoration follows the modelling process; at this stage, the harmonious ideas of form and colour take over the undulating surfaces of Jackson’s creations.
Recently, the artist has developed a new method that includes using local stoneware to create his pieces before finishing them in a salt glaze kiln. Many of these newer works reference the coastline and rock formations of north Cornwall.
Loud colours and abstract shapes give Paul Jackson’s pottery an energetic quality and mark them with individuality and character. Discover the magic of these pieces for yourself at one of Paul’s upcoming exhibitions.
Padstow Candle Company
The Padstow Candle Company creates high-quality, small-batch candles and wax melts that are hand poured in Padstow.
Fragrance oils are mixed in with biodegradable soy wax to create the company’s signature products. Each item is accompanied by a fun and imaginative scent name such as Harbour Mist, Ocean Waves, and Rock Pool, which all speak to the natural surroundings of the Padstow Candle Company.
Find an extensive collection of candles and other pieces in-store or browse online and have your favourite variety sent straight to your door. If you’re looking to buy something from the Padstow Candle Company as a present, you might be interested in a gift card which can be loaded with up to £200 and will take the pressure off finding the perfect scent.
Kilncraft
Kilncraft plan to host monthly POP-UP workshops where you can put your own stamp on one of the many pots, plates and trinkets waiting for a splash of colour. They can also offer parties and group bookings at your venue or hotel.
Starting at £5, Kilncraft also offers Take Away Pottery Kits which are great for parties and events. Each of these includes an item of pottery, brushes, paints and instructions to guide your through the process at home. Once you have perfected your pieces, send them back to be fired in the kiln.
Visit their Facebook Page for details of where the POP-Up’s will be in 2023. As well as being a perfect activity for all the family to enjoy, it is also a chance to put your own touch on a piece of pottery to take home to remind you of your Cornish getaway.
