Shop of the Week / Stokes Croft
Shop of the week: Stokes Croft China
Profane, anarchistic, and friendly.
Bristol’s only anti-establishment ceramics shop does far more than fill your kitchen cupboards.
Established in 2007, Stokes Croft China (SCC) is in many ways the commercial arm of the anti-consumerist Peoples Republic of Stokes Croft (PRSC).
is needed now More than ever
Stokes Croft China was founded in 2007 – photo: Max Story
When the British ceramics industry fell into disarray in the 2000s, many of the decorative transfers were salvaged by the PRSC’s founder, Chris Chalkley.
This became the foundation of SCC as we know it today.
The SCC has thousands of decorative transfer prints, some antique, and some newly commissioned photo: Max Story
All revenue generated by SCC that is not reinvested into creating more artwork is channelled into the PRSC, which uses these funds for their community outreach projects which include helping rough sleepers, drug testing, their School of Activism, and an art club which runs every Tuesday.
When you enter the small shopfront, you will be greeted by an array of different ceramicware; from mugs to toilets and saucers and figurines.
From afar they all look as quaint and proper as can be, however upon closer inspection a large portion of the fine China is plastered with swear words and anti-establishment slogans.
The shop stocks all kinda of chinaware, as well as books, cards, and posters. Photo: Max Story
Their best-selling items are mugs, a fan favourite being one adorned with a picture of the late Queen Elizabeth II, which looks straight out of a Hello magazine collector’s edition until you realise the caption is “I eat swans”.
There is also a limited-edition memorial edition which changes the caption to “I ate swans”.
Their best-selling items are mugs, a fan favourite being one adorned with a picture of the late Queen Elizabeth II – photo: Max Story
Some other favourites include a dedicated David Attenborough mug and one which has “relentless optimism” plastered on the front – which seems to nicely encapsulate the guiding philosophy of SCC.
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Scruff, a digital comms manager and SCC shopfront volunteer, told Bristol24/7 that she’s a “big fan of the swears, but I’m a potty mouth so those are always quite appealing”.
She added: “We’ve got a lot of Bristol Mugs. They’re made from vintage children’s tea sets, so really brightly coloured.
“Each one is different because each one is randomly put on, it’s all stuff from the streets, so it’s like bits of graffiti from around Bristol, and all sorts of weird little bits.”
Many of the mugs sold are one of a kind – photo: Max Story
Scruff continued: “Antiques of the future has been banded around a lot because, particularly for the things like the figurines, that’s the kind of thing that would be been passed down, so maybe these are now the things that get passed down in the future.”
Behind the scenes, in SCC’s adjacent warehouse, is where the magic happens. Filled with thousands of transfer patterns, the warehouse contains enough unique art to last a lifetime.
Many of the designs and patterns kept by SCC are finite. When they’re gone, they’re gone – photo: Max Story
From there, the artisans lay the patterns and art onto the crockery before placing them one of two kilns which can reach the hair-raising temperatures of 1080 °c.
One of two kilns at SCC. One can reach temperature of an erupting volcano – photo: Max Story
Everyone who works here works here does so because they love SCC and its cause.
Laura Kessler, SCC workshop manager, told Bristol24/7 that all SCC proceeds “go to directly funding the activities of the PRSC”.
She added: : “We do lots of work with the homeless, the peoples art club, it’s a very wholesome job, you feel like you are making a difference.
“We do a lot of political mugs, we do other kinds as well, humour, activism, we are trying to do a lot more positive activism mugs at the moment as well. People tend to go to the more positive ones.
“There’s so much shit going on all the time now that these have become some of our biggest sellers.”
Not all mugs are political -photo: Max Story
Love or hate their political philosophy, they make some remarkably fine China.
Stokes Croft China, 32 Jamaica Street, BS2 8JU.
Main photo: Max Story
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