Margaret was introduced to clay at Bolton College of Art before continuing her studies at Stoke-on-Trent School of Art, where she was taught by former Bernard Leach apprentice Derek Emms. It was there that she met her future husband, David Frith. In the mid-1960s they established their first workshop, and from 1976 they were based in their 18th-century woollen mill in Denbigh, North Wales. From this setting they taught and made their work together for over fifty years.
Margaret worked in porcelain, creating thrown forms that were sometimes faceted, fluted or otherwise altered. Her decorative techniques included carving, layered ash and celadon glazes, wax resist and freehand brushwork. Her practice developed from the British Studio Pottery tradition, where Anglo-Oriental ideologies and aesthetics intersected and flourished. Throughout her life she continued to research and experiment, refining her porcelain body and developing high-fired reduction glazes for wood and gas firings.
Her work is held in numerous private and public collections and has been exhibited widely in the UK and internationally. She was a Fellow of the Craft Potters Association.
1943–2026.
Profile photo by Layton Thompson.