There have been many attempts by the British and others to create new cottage industries in the Bahamas. It is not surprising that pottery would be one of them. The objective was to make money of course, but training local people in the ancient art was equally important as well.
In 1958, David Rawnsley decided to leave fashionable Chelsea in London and set up shop in Nassau. Pottery is a fine art which require skill, creativity and most of all patience. The luck of a favourable local market helps as well. In the late 1950s and certainly by 1960 when more American and European money began flowing through Nassau, there was definitely a market for fine pottery, especially among foreign tourists and the expat community in Nassau. However for David Rawnsley, the pottery business in Nassau didn’t last as long as he may have hoped.
In London, Chelsea Pottery finally closed around 1994 after many highs and lows.
Chelsea Pottery of the Bahamas, located located on East Hill Street is now a new enterprise here. It is a branch of a famous London pottery house. The local shop is headed by David Rawnsley at Chelsea Pottery, London. He is assisted by two European ceramic artists. Two Bahamians, George Huyler and Kendal Hanna are permanently employed and Huyler has already made a name for himself by producing the largest jar ever made in the Bahamas. A number of young people are being trained.
January 11, 1958, Miami Times.
