In February I went to go visit Hay Dairy Farm.  I tried, and failed, to visit Bollywood Veggies.  On Monday I tried and failed to visit Bollywood Veggies again.

Since vegetables weren’t on the table (pun intended), I stopped off at Thow Kwang Pottery Jungle instead.  It’s home to the oldest brick built kiln (otherwise known as a dragon kiln) in Singapore.

The signs explained that a dragon kiln is a wood fired brick kiln that is very long and shaped like a dragon’s tail (the tail goes up the hill under the bridge in the picture.  Pieces are put in through holes throughout the length of the kiln and then the temperature is slowly increased over a few weeks to an extreme.  However, the dragon kiln isn’t fired often.  Other kiln(s) are used onsite (I’m guess for a faster turn around?)  Check out this blog entry to see pictures of what it looks like on the inside.

There are several pottery wheels, but this artist was the only one working.

Here he used a tool to pare down some of the excess class

another shot of the tool and the pot.

afterward, the artist smoothed the clay

The retail side of the operation has items priced from 2sgd to thousands.  There are ceramics, plates, vases, tea pots, carvings, furniture, and just about everything in between.  Definitely something there for everyone, and this is high on my list of places to look when I’m ready to commit to something from Singapore for my home.

While they boast that they are home to items made in China, Singapore and throughout ASEAN countries, I wish there were signs that noted which were made on site, and where the other pieces were made.

It would be really cool to know the origins of this pot with the gorgeous red accents.

Or this green vase.

There was a card explaining what a Pi Yao does (brings in wealth despite bad feng shui), but I dont’ know where these gorgeous carvings are from.

If you’d like to know more about the Thow Kwang Pottery Jungle, there is an article here on the Remembering Singapore Blog,  Try to go soon, though.  According to the Straits Times (article dated August 2013), their lease is only through the end of the year.  Like Hay Dairy Farm and the Frog Farm, they were also only given a short extension, and their future is equally uncertain.

While not as out of the way as Hay Dairy Farm or the Frog Farm, it is still quite out of the way.  However, if you are a fan of the art form, you’ll find it worth the visit.  Don’t forget your mosquito spray–I did and I regret that mistake.

Thow Kwang Pottery Jungle is open daily 9-5.  For more information and directions visit their website here.