Written By Alan Good
TRAVEL - Just about an hour from London, in Elgin County, reside good reasons why you should get out of the house. And perhaps you’ll find some Christmas ideas. Your first stop is 8122 Rogers Road.
The Pinecroft has been operating since 1948, selling earthenware and stoneware pottery and unique Canadian gifts, plus conducting classes on how to make your own art. Add to that lunch at the Green Frog Tearoom and you have the makings for the first few hours of the journey.
Trails take you around the lake, which is lit up at night. The view, especially in the fall, is magnificent. One trail leads from the gift shop and teahouse to the quaint pottery house. The original log cabin, built in 1934, overlooks a pond which attracts a great variety of wildlife from the Blue Heron to Canadian Geese. Inside you’ll find artworks in various stages from wet clay to grey cups and other useful items, to finished product.
You’ll feel like you have escaped to Ontario’s north country once you have traversed the 54-acre pine forest. Some 85,000 pines were planted in the 1920’s by Arthur Caverly who also dredged the lake. His daughter, Selma, began the pottery studio in 1948, which now claims to produce and sell to 200 shops across Canada.
Selma and her husband dreamed of a place where creativity could flow. You can wonder over to the studio and watch as the artisans create clay vessels. All year, the property sees a production of both art and artists as the learning continues.
Brenda Smith has been teaching the one-day pottery class for about 54 years. She works when she wants and enjoys working with clay and encouraging the appreciation of the arts, as hundreds of people embrace the love of clay and the pots that were made from it.
Of course, the Gallery & Gift Shop sells Pinecroft’s own pottery as well as “unique Canadian made souvenirs and handcrafts reflecting the culture and character of Elgin County, Ontario and Canada”.
If you are planning to visit the restaurant I’d advise calling ahead for a reservation as it’s usually busy.
Next time, we travel to our second and third stops in Elgin County. The second one offers an array of dairy trivia. Can you guess what it is?
