Fred and Mary Barclay’s Thurso pottery inspired Caithness folk with its Japanese connection

Thurso’s Heritage by a Thirsa Loon

Just a stone’s throw from the historic ruins of Old St Peter’s Church, in one of the oldest parts of Thurso, a transformation unfolded in the mid-1970s – one that breathed new life into a long-abandoned corner of the town.

Where once the noise of flagstone works echoed across the harbour, a gentler, more meditative craft began to take root: pottery.

In 1973, Fred and Mary Barclay acquired the former office building of the old flagstone works at Fisherbiggins. Over the next two years, they gutted and rebuilt its interior, converting the ground floor into a working pottery studio and the upper floor into a showroom.

With care and creativity, they turned a piece of Thurso’s industrial past into a haven of artistry and craftsmanship.

Mary Barclay, who studied ceramics at Poole School of Art, had already spent nine years practising as a potter in Thurso when she and Fred opened Fisherbiggin’s Pottery. This marked her first opportunity to shape her studio and display space – a dream realised in a quiet part of Old Thurso.

The couple visited Mashiko, Japan, in 1974, where they met the renowned Japanese potter Shoji Hamada, whose influence was seen in Mary’s use of cobalt glazes, wax-resist techniques, and oxide decoration.

When the studio opened the following year, it wasn’t just Mary’s own work that was on display as several local artistes provided works of art to decorate the walls of the showroom while its walls were decorated by local artist Barbara Myatt depicting the old Thurso harbour and the once-thriving flagstone industry, echoing the building’s origins while celebrating its new purpose.

The commute to the studio was just across the road, as the Barclay’s had purchased the 18th-century White House, which they had also been restoring.

Demand quickly outpaced supply. Visitors, including the late Queen Mother, came in growing numbers, snapping up pieces as soon as they emerged from the kiln. Hopes were raised for installing a Japanese-style power-driven wheel and an oil-fired kiln to keep pace with the enthusiasm.

By the spring of 1980, Mary and Fred Barclay’s Fisherbiggin’s Pottery had become one of three thriving potteries in Caithness, each with its unique character. As Caithness Workshops Guild of Artists and Craftsmen members, the Barclays joined a broader movement to celebrate and support local creativity.

By the end of 1982, after regular pottery classes and tours of the studio, the potters’ wheel at Fisherbiggins turned for the last time, as Mary and Fred Barclay prepared to begin a new chapter abroad.

After seven fruitful years, they announced the closure of the pottery, prompted by Fred’s new role as a general manager in Abu Dhabi in the Water and Electricity Department. Mary was set to join him the following year.

Though the studio doors closed, their work’s legacy endured. Mary had become a teacher and maker, running popular pottery classes for five years that had sparked enthusiasm and skill among many budding ceramicists in the county.

Their connection to Caithness, they insisted, would not be severed. “Although looking forward to our new life,” Mary said, “we shall leave Caithness with too much to give it up entirely.”

Many pieces of their work will be dotted across the county, and perhaps an exhibition would prove of interest to the artistic folks of the north.

• To get in touch, contact thursoheritage1@gmail.com

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