Pinecroft

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Pinecroft

Pinecroft is Open 7 Days a Week March - December 30th
Restaurant Seatings Available 11am - 3 pm
Gift Shop Open Daily 10am - 4pm
(346)

Pinecroft has been a thriving business in Elgin County since 1948, supplying fine quality earthware and stoneware pottery and unique Canadian gifts to its’ customers. The Pinecroft Gallery and Gift Shop and Green Frog Tearoom occupy an original log cabin built in 1934 and overlook an expansive pond which attracts a great variety of wildlife from the Blue Heron to Canadian Geese. The 54 acre pine f

orest setting is reminiscent of Northern Muskoka, an ideal setting for creative artists. Arthur Caverly had the vision in the 1920′s to plant 85,000 pine seedlings and dredge a 2 1/2 acre lake with a team of horses. This early conservation has given us today, the beautiful tranquility of Pinecroft. Pinecroft Pottery was started by Arthur Caverly’s daughter Selma and her husband Jimmie Clennell in 1948. It began as a small studio from which they wholesaled pottery to nearly 200 gift shops across Canada. Brenda (Caverly) Smith, Arthur’s granddaughter, came to Pinecroft in 1972 to carry on a family tradition. In 1982 Brenda and her husband Paul, moved the 1850 “Poustie” home from Aylmer to Pinecroft and began restoring it. Now completed, the home gracefully sits overlooking the property.

31/08/2026

Thank you from the bottom of our collective hearts. Your comments from our last post have been such an encouragement moving forward and validation that we are doing the right things. It doesn’t take much in the midst of a busy season for a few comments to get you questioning everything. Thank you for putting things in perspective for us. We are delighted that so many of you enjoy Pinecroft. I can truthfully say that although this is our home, we are happy to share it on a daily basis. Beginning in 1921 the original vision of the property was to create a place of peace and serenity that would develop a respect for nature in those who visited. It was known then as The Cabin in the Pines .When the pottery studio started in 1948 and took on the name Pinecroft …a small clearing in the pines, the vision was that Pinecroft would be our contribution to a better world. Thank you for helping us make that possible.

Last year we decided to close on Labour Day to give our staff a chance to reboot and for those with young families to prepare for back to school or just spend time with family. We are doing that again so please note we will be closed Monday September 7th for Labour Day and we’ll be ready to serve you again on the 8th of September. Our season will continue until Christmas weather permitting.

Once again, thank you

Brenda, Paul, Sarah and Chad

29/08/2026

We would like to take this opportunity to answer some questions and to clarify our reservation policies at Pinecroft and I hope this will clear up any confusion about them.
Over the years, Pinecroft has developed into a day tripping destination. Since 1948 we have been a thriving business in Elgin County and one of its premier draws for people exploring the area. We have been very grateful for the attention Pinecroft has garnered and we are happy to share the serenity and peace we offer to all who visit us. The growth we have experienced over the 78 years has been gradual and we have evolved with that growth from a pottery studio to a studio that offered a tearoom for its customers serving only tea and homemade blueberry or bran muffins to the full service lunch restaurant we are today. We are not a high end dining experience but a location which offers homemade country fare that reflects the lifestyle of our county and community. All our entree menu offerings are recipes from our own family, family friends, neighbours, employees and most we have had for over 25 years. We try to locally source our ingredients using local farm produce and butchers. Our growth has been organic with local advertising and most importantly word of mouth. Over the last few years this has all changed with the explosion of social media. We have been overwhelmed with both Tic Tok and Instagram videos posted by visitors which has reached an audience that extends way beyond our local markets. We routinely drew visitors locally and from an hour’s radius but we now find customers coming from locations well over that distance. It has been overwhelming. Our customer base has grown exponentially but we have stayed the same. We are at our limit as to how many we can comfortably serve without impacting the experience we offer. We want to continue to be a place that offers a retreat from the hustle and bustle of life; a place where you can come and enjoy some quiet time with family and friends while enjoying a tasty home cooked lunch. We have always recommended reservations even 30 years ago but now we highly recommend them. If you are venturing out to drive 2 plus hours for lunch we understand that you want to know you can have a table. Our location pretty much encourages a reservation as there is no place just across the street or down the road you can go if we’re full. Our neighbours sadly cannot accommodate you. We have been getting heavy criticism for taking reservations from those who have tried just dropping in. We do set aside a number of tables daily for walk in customers but they too fill up quickly. We want to be fair to everyone and we work very hard at balancing everyone’s demands. Over a season it can become very exhausting keeping everyone happy but we will continue to try to do so. Empty tables do not mean availability or that we do not want to serve you. It means that we are at capacity for both our kitchen and serving staff. We rotate our tables to keep a workable flow of customers and if every table was full all the time we wouldn’t be able to cope. We have an amazing staff many of whom have been with us for many years. We know we’re not perfect, we’re human and with that comes imperfection at times. Please understand that we are doing the best we can and that every day we work hard to follow the vision we have focused on for Pinecroft, our family, our work family and you our customers.
Please, please call ahead to check availability before you head out. We also have a reservation submission form on our web page at www.pinecroft.ca and an answering machine where you can leave your name and number for a call back. We have a dedicated secretary answering the phones between 9:30 and 3:30 daily. Please call directly to our number at 519-773-3435 and don’t use the call button on Google etc. as we have been told by our local provider that that goes through another carrier which itself could be overloaded before we get the call. The message that this number is not available comes from those carriers not ours. There apparently is nothing we can do about that.
We are very grateful for and appreciate your patronage and we will continue to work hard at meeting everyone’s expectations. Thank you.

Pinecroft
8122 Rogers Rd S,
Aylmer West, Ontario

519-773-3435
www.pinecroft.ca

16/08/2026

Road construction begins on Hwy #3 from St.Thomas to Aylmer beginning tomorrow August 17th until the fall. Hwy # 3 is a route many of our customers take to reach us. Below we have some suggestions for alternate routes depending on your start location. You may want to consider one of these options to avoid delays as the highway will be restricted to one lane in places during construction.
Coming from London and west:
OPTION 1: Hwy 74 , Exit 195 off of 401, south through Belmont and Mapleton to County Rd 52, Ron McNeil Line, west to Rogers Rd S. South on Rogers to Hwy #3 ,. Cross over Hwy #3 and continue on Rogers to Pinecroft at # 8122

OPTION 2: Hwy 73 , Exit 203 off of 401 , south through Aylmer to Conservation Line west to Rogers Rd and then south to Pinecroft.

OPTION 3: Hwy 4 south through St.Thomas to County Rd 45, John Wise Line , east to Rogers Rd. And North on Rogers Rd to Pinecroft at #8122.

Coming from Toronto and east..Hwy # 73 exit off of Hwy #401 ,exit 203 Imperial Road , south through Aylmer to Conservation Line west to Rogers Rd and then south to Pinecroft #8122.

Please confirm with a map or your GPS before heading out. Please allow for delays and the extra travel time when planning your reservation arrival time.

Thanks and we hope this is helpful over the next number of weeks. Any questions, please feel free to reach out to us.

Pinecroft
8122 Rogers Rd S.,
Aylmer West, Ontario
www.pinecroft.ca
519-773-3435

09/08/2026

Finally a beautiful summer Sunday and the cabin music jam moved to the stage. It could not have been more perfect. If you play an instrument or sing , join the jam Sundays in August 1- 3 pm. Everyone is welcome.

Pinecroft
www.pinecroft.ca

05/08/2026

A Memory from Two Years Ago
August 5, 2024 was a Monday. That Monday 2 years ago Pinecroft was hit with a devastating storm that tore through our property damaging buildings and it destroyed over 100 trees in a swath that cut through our bush. I was unloading a kiln when the rain came in sheets, the wind came up and looking out the studio window I saw nothing but grey. Not a minute later my phone went off and my son said you better get over here. It was difficult to comprehend what had happened in just minutes. A reminder that Mother Nature always has the upper hand. Here are a few pictures recalling that day. No one was injured and that in itself was a miracle as we had a lot of customers. Closed for a few days to clean up and repair damage we reopened. That was 2 years ago and it was only this spring that I could get the courage to go and see where we had lost the 100 trees. I’m afraid I am a confirmed tree hugger and have always felt a huge emotional connection with nature. I could not bear to see the damage. The bush will rejuvenate and new growth is already coming through. Nature garners our respect and as caretakers of this property emotions are always close to the surface. Hopefully we won’t see anything like that storm here again. Today looks like it will be an outstanding day. Enjoy every beautiful day you can, they are a true blessing that we don’t appreciate enough.

Pinecroft
www.pinecroft.ca

04/08/2026

Today was a holiday for most people. Rarely do we even realize when it’s a holiday because we are open everyday and they all seem the same. Monday is also the day that if we can, Paul and I take the morning to go golfing with friends. Today was so beautiful we didn’t go back to work but just enjoyed the day. Dinner time came and I thought it would be nice to go out to eat but figured it would be too busy. Then I realized I knew very well some place that wouldn’t be busy and that was our restaurant. Closed at 4 everyday it was all ours. I snagged a window table, plated up 2 meals and we sat down and enjoyed the view. It was beautiful and peaceful and actually flooded with memories of all the changes over the years. The glass patio room used to be an outdoor patio we used for pottery demonstrations and now over the past 45 years it’s been a dining room enjoyed by thousands and now tonight by just the two of us. It was great. I think we should do it more often and maybe we will. It’s funny how you take something for granted and all you see is work and what needs to be done, but when you see it through the eyes of others you have a different appreciation. It’s not hard to see why people enjoy it here. We enjoyed it. It was beautiful.

Pinecroft
www.pinecroft.ca

02/08/2026

Mug journey Day 12. Unloaded! It was an excellent kiln. The pressure is off. Today the pots were taken out of the kiln and each one was individually sanded on the bottom , packed into crates and moved to the gift shop. They’ll be unloaded, priced and put on the shelves for sale. The kiln was really full. Teapots, vases, trays, garlic pots, egg poachers, egg separators, small jugs, gravy boats, soap dishes, spoon rests, bowls , butter pats, oven rack pulls , apple dishes, herb st*****rs and of course mugs. Now, the cycle will begin again.
I hope these last few posts have given everyone a glimpse of what it takes to complete a handmade mug for sale. If nothing else I hope it has made people realize why a handmade mug is priced the way it is compared to a mass produced factory mug. Now, when you go into an artisan shop, frequent a craft fair , visit a gallery or receive one as a gift, you can appreciate the hard work and commitment that goes into making one by hand. My uncle always used to say “ a pot is made of what we potter’s are”. Handmade says it all… a personal journey to create a piece of art. It’s not always a successful journey but it is always a rewarding journey with lessons to be learned. Potter’s tears is a thing …and when things don’t work out it’s just incentive to do better next time!

Pinecroft
www.pinecroft.ca

01/08/2026

Mug journey Day 11: The kiln reached temperature at 9 pm last night which on the parometer was 2275 degrees Fahrenheit. Shut it down and then let it drop temperature through a slow cooling over the next hour to 1825 degrees Fahrenheit when all the peeps and damper were closed up. Getting home at 10 pm was a relief. This morning the temperature was 1200 degrees Fahrenheit and when it reaches 1000 further cooling will begin by gradually opening the damper every few hours to let the heat escape. Early Sunday morning should see it at around 500 degrees and the peeps can be removed. Yesterday was the 188th firing of this kiln. Our previous gas kiln we fired from 1981 until 2013 with just over some 1600 firings. It was a much smaller kiln and could be fired more frequently. It was purchased used and absolutely owed us nothing! It was a trooper. Pictured here is Jimmie and Selma in the 1950’s with Pinecroft’s first gas kiln which sat where the indoor dining is now in the tearoom. I remember it as a small child thinking it looked like a dragon firing never dreaming I would be firing subsequent kilns many years later. The second photo is the gas kiln in the present studio which we used beginning in 1981 and retired in 2013 . We used it for a few workshops and some salt firings after and then finally dismantled it.
The last photo is my log book and table from last night. I keep a log of every firing and have them back to the first…they’re pretty faded but still legible. I usually comment on the weather and anything on that date like significant family events to things like the Maple Leafs losing in the playoffs! It’s like a diary of my studio days. Tomorrow will be like Christmas with the opening of the kiln around noon.
Pinecroft
www.pinecroft.ca

31/07/2026

Day 10…after pre-heating overnight, the kiln was officially started at 6 am. This is like a Cole’s note version of the firing simplified for those who have no idea how it happens. Our car kiln has a tract that the shelves and door roll on into the kiln . The door is secured shut. This all happened last night. There are 4 burners on the kiln.. 2 in the front and 2 in the back. Each burner has a pressure gauge and air flow dial. Every hour until around noon the burners are adjusted to increase the gas flow. Additionally the damper is also adjusted in the stack ( chimney) of the kiln and that regulates the ability of the heat to escape from the kiln. There are 2 spy holes in the door…one near the top of the kiln and one near the bottom. There is also a thermocouple at the back which translates the temperature to an external gauge. In front of each spy hole sitting on a shelf are a series of pyrometric Cones. These cones are the final temperature verification that the kiln is actually fired from. They are made out of clay and each cone melts at a specific temperature. They are more accurate than the parometer. As the cones melt, adjustments are made to the gas and air that the kiln receives. We fire in a reduction atmosphere which means that at a certain time the oxygen going into the kiln is restricted by the damper, and the flame inside the kiln to stay alive will extract oxygen from the clay body of the pots as well as the glazes. This is what gives our pottery their unique colouring or finish. Hopefully this is fairly well explained . Currently I’m waiting for the first significant cone to melt so that I can put the kiln into reduction mode. Firing day is always stressful recognizing there are so many factors that come into play as the kiln fires and that there is several weeks worth of work in the kiln including today the mugs whose journey we’re following. The weather also can impact a firing. Today is a good day ..clear with low humidity. Raining and humid days tend to slow a firing down and makes the day longer. I always smile when I have people come into the studio and say that they’ve been here many times but I’m never working. Throwing on the wheel is such a small part of the whole process. They won’t see me today working either . I find the days of glazing and the day of loading totally exhausting mentally and physically and that on firing day I lay low at home . My son Chad has stepped up to help me load and I am very grateful for that as it is very trying and physical work. Anyway, I’ll be working today but they’ll have to catch me walking across my front lawn to check my kiln. I’ll be doing that every hour until it finishes around 10 pm tonight and the final 30 - 40 minutes I’ll be sitting beside it to make sure I shut it down at the right time. My family tells me that on my tombstone will be the phrase “ she’s gone to check her kiln” . That’s the phrase they’ve heard since they were toddlers looking for me and now on firing days that’s the answer they give everyone looking for me.

30/07/2026

Mug Journey..Day 8 …mugs were waxed with paraffin wax on the bottom. This is done to resist the glaze on the bottom of the pots when they are glazed. This will prevent them from fusing to the kiln shelves during firing. Day 9 ..glaze is applied to the pots. I glaze my pottery by dipping the pots into large pails of glaze and then applying coloured slip depending on the effects I’m looking for. Glaze is basically powdered glass and when applied to the pots and subsequently fired it melts to a glossy or matte finish. All glazes are food safe and when finished all pottery is oven proof, maybe used in a microwave and can even be placed in the freezer. Glazed mugs are loaded into our gas car kiln and the kiln is closed up. The kiln holds around 300 pots give or take depending on size and shape. So during every step I am describing that the mugs go through all the other pots do as well on a similar time line.The kiln has been started today at 5 pm and will preheat until tomorrow morning. Around 6 am we will start the firing and it will finish sometime tomorrow evening on Day 10. I will update tomorrow.

Pinecroft
www.pinecroft.ca

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+15197733435

Website

https://www.pinecroft.ca/

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