I visited the Delft factory in February this year, on a field visit to the Netherlands and Belgium. The visit to Delft was great fun and the factory itself is so much smaller than you'd imagine - it's literally the size of an average shop. That includes the first floor, which is where the pottery is made in several large kilns, and upstairs where the painters take up half, and the shop is located in the front half. Downstairs, as you enter you're face to face with several large kilns and lots of white pieces of pottery, before they've been painted in that well-known blue and white. We were given a talk about the process - apparently the clay originally comes from parts of the UK, and Germany. The blue colouring is made by ionising black paint, which they're hand-painted in. Upstairs, we saw three or four painters at work. Their skills are remarkable. Each piece of legitimate Delft pottery is hand-painted, and it was very interesting to watch them working. Surprisingly, original genuine Delft pieces are not expensive at the factory shop. They're more expensive in the shops in the Dutch cities, I expect. The factory is situated in a quiet residential street, in front of which is a canal. read more

See all

I visited this factory with friends this year and found it fascinating. They have been making pottery here since time immemorial!!! The painters were just amazing sometimes painting from a picture that someone has sent in as a commission. I will put some pictures on of our visit. There is a guide who is very knowledgeable and you get taken through the whole process from clay to finished product and they also had the makers marks there to help you check the genuine product from the fake, as there are two factory's both claiming to be the 'real' thing!!! The building is very small and not very wheelchair friendly but then what do you expect from such an old place! read more

Delft Factory - Arts & Crafts Near Me

See all