ST IVES' Leach Pottery dates back to 1920 when the small fishing village was already an established haunt for artists. At the time the St Ives Guild of Handicrafts was keen to attract a potter into its mix.

And so Bernard Leach was approached. At the time he was living in Japan, where he had returned to complete his studies.

He was a child of the colonies and his links to the Far East were strong; his father worked in Asia as a lawyer, and Bernard was born in Hong Kong during 1887.

His mother died during labour and the first four years of Bernard's life were spent in Japan where he was cared for by his maternal grandparents.

Like many British children born abroad, Bernard was schooled at 'home', first by the Beaumont School at Old Windsor, before studying at the Slade School of Art in London and later under Frank Brangwyn at the London School of Art.

He returned to Japan in 1909 to teach etching, but after being introduced to ceramics at a raku party he was caught by a desire to learn the craft. Under the tuition of Kenzan VI he learnt traditional methods of throwing, glazing and firing. In 1917 he opened his first pottery with exhibitions establishing his reputation abroad. Then he received the offer to make a life and home in the far west of Britain.

Married, with a family of three and twins on the way, he headed for St Ives to set up a pottery.

Backed by a local philanthropist, Francis Horne, they began producing raku and tableware, large dishes and individual pots from their Oriental climbing kiln.

Bernard was invited to Dartington in 1925 to set up pottery on the estate of a wealthy American heiress, Dorothy Elmhirst, and her Yorkshireman husband, Leonard. The couple were attempting to set up a utopian community in Devon where they would bring together Eastern and Western thought.

For five years Bernard had struggled to keep the St Ives pottery financially afloat and found the offer tempting, but unwilling to compromise his artistic freedom he suggested someone else should run the Elmhirsts' pottery.

Finally, in 1932, Bernard accepted the Elmhirsts' offer. The financial situation in St Ives had not improved and his growing intimate relationship with Laurie Cookes was now making life with his family untenable.

He negotiated good terms, including a salary for himself and wages for two assistants who would keep his St Ives base going in his absence.

A site was identified at Shinner's Bridge where he planned a large pottery, and he intended to keep his options open as far as a return to Cornwall was concerned.

The experience of working within the refined and experimental atmosphere of Dartington was profound. The mix of art forms, ranging from dance and music to weaving and painting, allowed Bernard to immerse himself in his art.

He returned to Japan for a tour of country potteries in 1934 and while he was away made the decision to end his marriage and move to Dartington with Laurie Coakes.

While Bernard was in Japan the Elmhirsts suggested his son David would benefit from a course in pottery management, and so he enlisted to study in Stoke-on-Trent.

After three years, David came home to St Ives and started making changes which would see the pottery become financially sustainable.

These included the installation of electricity, the purchase of machinery to carry out mechanical tasks, converting the kiln from wood to oil and introducing a new set of wares.

Funding from Dartington allowed a coming together of form and function, commerce, science and art in the production of standardware at the St Ives pottery. This was a range of pots for table, kitchen and oven. Made to a measured shape from a known weight of clay, these pots were made of hard-wearing stoneware rather than earthenware.

From 1942 Bernard returned to St Ives on a semi-permanent basis as it was now an attractive proposition. The pottery was stable and had a skilled workforce. In comparison, the kiln at Shinner's Bridge was inefficient and the cabin he lived in was bad for his health. In St Ives he could throw individual pots and make use of the regular kiln firings.

He recommended Sam Haile to the Elmhirsts as his replacement. Following Sam's untimely death in 1948 his wife Marianne de Trey took over at Dartington where she continued to work until 2009.

The exhibition on the Dartington Years runs at the Leach Pottery until the end of the year, while the 90th anniversary is celebrated on Sunday with the launch of a new book by John Edgler, Slipware And St Ives.

The pottery is open daily from 10am unill 5pm, Monday to Saturday, and 11am to 4pm on Sundays.