Bernard Leach’s Equestrian Roof Tiles: and their location within West Counrty Traditions

Standing in the Cube Gallery, in the centre of the Leach Pottery, is a very rare mid 1920s earthenware sculpture of a horse and rider by Bernard Leach. This sculpture had been roughly cemented onto a generic earthenware ridge tile (FIG 1), and at some point during the last ninety years, it had been mounted onto a rooftop near St. Ives in Cornwall. This Horse and Rider was the focus of my residency in the spring of 2014 - Julia Twomlow, Director of the Leach Pottery (March 2008-Oct 2015) had requested that I respond to and research this little understood sculpture.