Porches Pottery

For some Algarve magic a visit to Porches Pottery is an absolute must. The story, the artists and of course the pottery, are timeless and elegant, and magically blend the past and the present.

A short history lesson: The Algarve and Porches in particular, had a thriving local pottery industry in the past. However by the 1960’s , demand had dropped, age-old skills were being lost and a centuries old Portuguese tradition was on its way to extinction. Irish artist Patrick Swift and his Portuguese counterpart, Lima de Freitas, joined forces to try to prevent this from happening. They founded the Olaria Algarve – Porches Pottery – in 1968, and with large doses of creativity and tenacity, created an array of distinctive pottery and a successful business, ensuring the survival of the potters craft.

Each piece of Porches Pottery is unique. Hand-made and hand-painted, no two pieces are ever exactly alike. The local artists that today decorate each piece of pottery use free-flowing brush strokes to create the distinctive patterns. No stencils are used – just skill and steady hands. You can see the artists at work at the Porches Pottery showroom, see each piece of bare pottery take on life and colour, transformed into an individual works of art.

Housed in a traditional style algarvian farmhouse, the showroom displays tea-sets, dishes, jars, carafe, platters, wall-plaques……As each piece of Porches Pottery is hand-made, personalized and bespoke items can be made – ideal for for wedding settings for example, for gifts, commemorative plaques or corporate gifts. Individual tile murals can be commissioned for home decoration. You can see some stunning examples of these decorating the walls at Bacchus Bar next door to Porches Pottery. And if you stop to enjoy a drink or meal here, your food will be served on Porches Pottery too.

Porches Pottery makes an ideal gift and momento. It’s a little piece of the Algarve’s soul to remind you of the richness and character of this lovely region.