Porches Pottery

Porches Pottery, also known as Olaria Algarve, was founded in 1968 by the Irish painter Patrick Swift and the Portuguese artist Lima de Freitas. At the time plastic and metal wares were pushing the Algarve's potters out of business, and the two artists set out to revive the trade. They worked with a local potter, trained people from the area to paint, and developed a style of decoration inspired by the region's ancient cultures. The pottery is still a family business, led by Swift's daughters.

Everything is made by hand in the majolica technique. Pots turned from Portuguese red clay are dipped in white glaze, decorated freehand with a brush, without stencils or transfers, and then glazed again and fired at a little over a thousand degrees. Each painter's brushwork is recognisable, and most of the painters learned the craft here and have worked at the pottery for decades. Hand-painted tiles and azulejo panels are made to order as well.

The pottery occupies a white farmhouse-style building designed by Swift on the EN125 road, on the western edge of Porches in the municipality of Lagoa. The painting workshop is inside the shop, so visitors usually see pots being decorated, and a garden café surrounded by tile murals serves light lunches. It is open all year. By car, leave the A22 motorway at the Alcantarilha exit and follow the EN125 towards Lagoa; the pottery is a short distance past the Porches roundabout, among pine trees.