By the late 1950s, Jersey Pottery was back on its feet. The Jones family had developed a successful business by combining distinctive ceramics with a warm welcome for visitors, and the site continued to expand. In the early 1960s, the family developed the gardens behind the pottery. Planned by Jessie Jones, they featured flower beds, rose bushes, specimen trees, ponds and places to sit, offering a peaceful escape alongside the busy factory and showroom.
In 1962, Jessie introduced another lasting tradition: the Smashing Pot. Visitors were invited to make donations to Island charities, which were collected inside large ceramic pots before a local dignitary ceremonially smashed them open each year. The first pot was smashed by Jersey’s Bailiff, Sir Robert Le Masurier. By the end of the decade, the initiative had raised more than £250,000, turning a distinctive pottery tradition into a significant contribution to Island life.
As visitor numbers grew, so did the demand for somewhere to eat. By 1970, Jersey Pottery was welcoming around 300,000 visitors a year. The coffee bar that had opened in 1961 was replaced by a restaurant with capacity for 500 people, serving seafood, salads, sandwiches and cakes in an informal setting overlooking the gardens. The restaurant became a destination for Islanders as well as tourists, laying the foundations for the business’s growing reputation for food and hospitality.
By the 1980s, more than a million visitors a year were coming to Jersey Pottery at its peak. The business had become a major Island attraction, with its ceramics, gardens and restaurant all playing a part. In 1989, the pottery welcomed Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh. Their visit included a tour of the factory and lunch at the Garden Restaurant, marking a memorable moment in the company’s history.
With hospitality firmly established, the business began looking beyond Gorey to new venues and opportunities across Jersey.
