A HATHERLEIGH resident has chosen a highly individual way of marking her respect for the town's George Hotel — by turning its ashes into glaze.

The owner of Hatherleigh Pottery, Jane Payne, was among those watching the terrible sight of the George Hotel as it burned to the ground on Christmas Eve.

Mrs Payne said: 'It was my birthday and I was thinking what a horrible present it was, and then it struck me that I might at least be able to save something from the George's ashes, by turning them into glaze.'

Jane and her husband Mike have managed to salvage some of the smaller pieces of badly charred timber, which had been cleared from the site by firefighters and deposited in the market car park.

Mr Payne said: 'We re-burned these in our woodburning stove, although some of the timber was already close to charcoal, and made sure we kept the George's remnants separate from our usual logs.

'When the ashes were cold, I sieved them to get rid of large rubbish like nails and then ground them as far as I could with a pestle and mortar.'

Mrs Payne said she has made a start on the pots: 'I haven't made them yet but have just tested the ashes with glaze'.

She added: 'I can't say the results would set the ceramics world alight but it is certainly usable and I will be making a number of small pots and glazing them from the wreckage.

'It will act as a memorial to a really beautiful building.'

Hatherleigh Pottery is closed at present and will re-open on Saturday March 28. All proceeds made from the glazed pots will be donated to the Fire Service.