Aston Pottery and Gardens

Tuesday 11th August 2026

This was  a self-drive visit to Aston Pottery and Gardens, located in Bampton, Oxfordshire .  Aston Pottery is renowned for its handcrafted pottery, beautiful gardens, and award-winning café. 

A group of Arts Society members braved the 4th heatwave of the summer and ventured on a self drive visit to Aston Pottery and Gardens, in Bampton, owned by Stephen and Jane Baughan.  

We started with a coffee and a most delicious looking array of cakes and pastries were on offer.  We had time to wander round the shop - which had most interesting and unusual stock, there is also a plant sales area.   Lunch was (like the cakes) delicious and all homemade.  Some of us signed up for a tour of the pottery - this was the first thing that was started on the site.  The first shop and pottery was bought and renovated in 1991 and started trading in 1996.  The Baughans made and decorated all the ceramics.  

Stephen then turned his attention to another passion - gardening.  In 2008 they built a new shop and café. The spoil from the new build was used to make another border, known (for obvious reasons) as The Hot Bank.  In total the gardens have 6 borders and a Pot Spot, giving the visitor something spectacular to enjoy from June to maybe early November.  Stephen and 3 volunteers keep busy with all the 6 borders (plus the Pot Spot where the most amazing Queen Mother agapanthus and eucomis are grown in pots).  As well as the Hot Bank there is - the Perenial border; the Dahlia border with 132 varieties; the Tropical border; the Pleached Hornbeam walk - with 72 trees and 2,000 plants, the Annual border with 6,000 plants anda total of 120 different annuals. All annuals are grown from seed and sown when they are quite small in a rigorous triangular pattern with no gaps between, therefore elimination of weed germination and sun-baked earth. Very little watering required - genius!

It is not hard to believe that visitors come for the completely home-made food, the shop and the gardens all through the year…….. In writing this review, I am even more excited to go back in a few weeks, and thenagain and again - apparently Christmas is also spectacular.