A new lease of life for the Dad's Army butchers

You might have seen the premises on TV when the Dad's Army movie was shown on terrestrial TV for the first time this week.
The Dad's Army cast in BridlingtonThe Dad's Army cast in Bridlington
The Dad's Army cast in Bridlington

But 40 High Street in Bridlington’s Old Town, which was converted into Jones the Butchers for the film, is about to get a new lease of life off-screen.

Potter Jenny Morten is moving into the building, having been based down the road at number 12 for the past couple of years.

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At the corner of High Street and Scarborough Road, she has been showing her own ceramics alongside paintings by her late husband Geoff, together with work by invited artists from the region.

The building became Jones Butchers for the filmThe building became Jones Butchers for the film
The building became Jones Butchers for the film

Jenny also started running weekly pottery classes which have been so successful that she needed to find a workshop space so she could carry on.

She said: “Number 40 provides such a space. There is a studio for making and throwing on the wheel, a dedicated painting and decorating studio next to a kiln room where everything will be fired on site.

“Visitors will be able to watch me throwing pots on my wheel in the gallery and hand build my large pieces.

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“Pottery Classes for all levels of ability will start soon together with a programme of visual arts classes and workshops including monoprinting and jewellery making.”

Jenny Morten outside her first workshop in South London 40 years ago and outside her current High Street home.Jenny Morten outside her first workshop in South London 40 years ago and outside her current High Street home.
Jenny Morten outside her first workshop in South London 40 years ago and outside her current High Street home.

Jenny opened her first pottery in South London after leaving Central St. Martins before moving up to Richmond in North Yorkshire, where she continued working with Geoff and nine employees in J&G Morten Ceramic Designs.

After 10 years of producing many items for sale in outlets such as Libertys of London and Neiman Marcus in the USA, both Geoff and Jenny decided to focus on their own individual practice – Geoff on his painting and Jenny on the sculptural ceramics she is now known for.

The most recent exhibition at the Morten Gallery was a celebration of what being beside the sea meant to a selection of artists.