The Great Yarmouth Pottery Exhibition opens at the Ferini Art Gallery on All Saints Road in Pakefield, Lowestoft, on Friday, February 27 and runs until March 22, bringing together dozens of his limited-edition tankards and other ceramics.

The show is drawn from the private collection of Mike Millward, who has spent more than three decades tracking down pieces made by Mr Childs at Great Yarmouth Pottery from the early 1980s until he stopped production in 2013.

Mr Childs, who died in 2019 aged 72, was known not only for his pottery but also as a painter, sculptor and maritime historian.

Ernie Childs, the Great Yarmouth potter and painter whose work will be exhibited in Lowestoft. (Image: Archant)

His legacy has been marked with a statue and mural in his honour.

A mural showing Ernie Childs in Blackfriars carpark in Great Yarmouth. (Image: Jamie Garbutt)

Many of his tankards were produced in short runs to commemorate local landmarks, lifeboat stations, football clubs and historical events.

Mr Millward, who estimates he owns around 350 pieces, said the Ferini exhibition may be the first time a substantial body of Mr Childs’ work has been shown together outside the old pottery itself.

He said: “It’s like most collections – you start off with a few pieces that take your interest, then add a few more and think ‘I haven’t got that one’, and before you know it the shelves get a bit full.

Karen and Ernie Childs at Great Yarmouth Pottery. (Image: Archant)

Ernie Childs' statue is unveiled by Mayor Carl Annison and artist Mark Goldsworthy to open the Great Yarmouth Art Trail. (Image: Denise Bradley)

“Ernie’s work is usually buried away in antique or charity shops, but when you get a good number together and realise just how much research and craftsmanship went into them, it’s a bit ‘wow’ – and we wanted artists and ceramicists to see that too.”

The exhibition has been put together with Ferini owner Michaela Hobbs, whose gallery specialises in showcasing East Anglian artists.

Mr Childs’ widow Karen, an accomplished artist who still runs art classes in Great Yarmouth, has supported the project and some pieces may be put up for sale to help cover the costs of staging the show.

© Eastern Daily Press