The Process
Shaws of Darwen takes a tactile approach in bringing its sublime sinks to life. Every sink is an original design, and the tricks of the trade have barely changed since Shaws’ inception in 1897. The first stage is slip casting, whereby the craftsman mixes locally sourced clay with water and pours it by hand into porous moulds. Once sufficiently dry, the sinks are hand-finished via processes of sponging and fettling. After a further drying period of over 40 hours, two coats of glaze are applied. In the final stage, each sink is placed in a specially designed kiln for firing at temperatures of over 1200 degrees Celsius.
