Young people arranging a structure made from cardboard on top of a table

Bedford YAC contribute to an exciting new museum display!

May 2026

Bedford YAC have recently been exploring Bedford’s post-medieval pottery industry at the Higgins Museum, working with Albion Archaeology to create an impressive new museum display. In our latest blog post, branch leader Helen tells us more about this exciting project…

In 2025, Albion Archaeology, part of Central Bedfordshire Council, unearthed a remarkably well preserved Late Medieval kiln under the playing field of Sutton V. A. Primary School, near Potton. Excavating the Sutton Kiln revealed the closing of a substantial pottery production centre in Bedfordshire, with over 30,000 pieces of pottery and 500kg of tiles recovered by the archaeologists.

A new display at the Higgins Museum, in collaboration with Albion Archaeology, explores this discovery, alongside other kilns found near Potton and in Bedford itself. Visitors can see what this kiln looked like in its day with an impressive replica created by Bedford YAC members, as well as what kind of pottery was being made in Late Medieval Bedfordshire, and how the archaeologists saved this piece of Bedfordshire’s heritage. This was a community-wide project, the display includes contributions from Bedford YAC along with Sutton V.A. Primary School and volunteers from The Higgins.

Bedford YAC’s replica kiln was built by two Albion staff and YAC members helped papier mache it and then paint it. They were really good at mixing the paints to the colours from the original kiln. They also made the tiles used for some of the construction and around half of the pots made to go in and around the kiln. The other pots were made by a drop in session over easter by children and adults run by Higgins staff. The image gallery below shows the process by which we created this display.

Young people sat around a table shaping lumps of clay.
Young people painting a structure made from cardboard
Young people arranging a structure made from cardboard on top of a table
Young people adding clay to a model kiln on top of a table
A table-top replica of a post-medieval kiln made from cardboard and clay
A table-top display of a replica post-medieval kiln, a doll figure of a potter and lots of small replica pots.

The exhibition is open for 6 months so come and see our YAC members’ work and learn about Bedford’s fascinating pottery heritage!

The Higgins Museum, Bedford

Exploring Bedfordshire’s Kilns: An Industry Revealed

28 April to 4 October 2026

Outside Settlement Gallery – Free Entry

A display case in a museum containing ceramic artefacts and a replica kiln made from cardboard and clay.
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