2025 marked a milestone year for Griselda Hill Pottery, which celebrated its 40th anniversary with a series of events in collaboration with Kirkcaldy Galleries, themselves commemorating their centenary.
The partnership produced a lively programme of exhibitions, competitions and special appearances that highlighted both organisations' shared heritage.
In the spring, the Pottery crafted and donated 100 limited-edition "KG100" cat brooches to the Galleries. The brooches, which quickly became sought-after collectibles, were sold to raise funds for the Galleries. Founder Griselda Hill also designed and hand-painted a decorative cat inspired by an original lino pattern from Nairns, the Kirkcaldy-based flooring company that originally funded the construction of the Galleries. The piece featured in the centenary exhibition Hundred Years of Kirkcaldy Galleries before being raffled in September.
May, the month the Pottery first opened in 1985, saw a celebratory "birthday bash" and pop-up shop hosted at the Galleries, attended by long-time customers, local figures, and the area's MSP.
As part of the festivities, Kirkcaldy Galleries ran a schools competition to "design a Wemyss cat," attracting more than 340 entries. The Pottery selected three winners and hand-painted their designs onto ceramic cats, which were presented to the young artists.
The centenary exhibition opened in late June and received a royal seal of approval in July when King Charles Ill, visiting Kirkcaldy to dedicate a cairn at the town's War Memorial Gardens, toured the Galleries. On learning of the Pottery's involvement, the King requested to meet Griselda Hill personally, telling her he admired Wemyss Ware and expressing interest in visiting the Pottery in the future.
"It was a wonderful year of celebration," said Hill. "To share our ruby anniversary alongside the Galleries' centenary felt like a fitting way to honour the history and creativity of Kirkcaldy."