Richard studied natural sciences at Cambridge and later engineering at Leeds and after leaving university, he worked as a chemical engineer.

Richards’s interest in pottery started at an early age, it came from his mother, the well-known Lancashire potter Joan Bideau. Initially, this was little more than dabbling and a way of earning a little pocket money but this was to change in 1995 when an article on crystalline glazes in the New Scientist magazine caught Richards’s attention. He was intrigued by the possibility of combining his knowledge of chemistry with the freedom of expression offered by pottery.

Starting with a published glaze recipe, Richard embarked upon a journey of experimentation that has, after many thousands of tests, resulted in a unique range of crystalline glazes. Richard now has an international reputation for the quality of his glazes and fine porcelain forms.