HS2 turns London clay into celebration dinner plates

Some of the London clay dug up by HS2 Railway at Old Oak Common has been turned into a dinner service that will be used at celebrations held by HS2 to mark landmark events.

To turn the clay into plates, HS2 collaborated with Absolute Beginners, an arts organisation led by artist Tom James, and local young people who have been learning to use the clay to make objects.

The group of 17-21 year olds began using the clay to make a simple plate in 2023, learning how to process, manipulate and fire the clay. The group has now made a dinner service of 100 plates and 100 bowls from some of the excavated materials – affectionately given the name ‘low speed plates’.

Made in the unique Absolute Beginners way, using off-grid power, local materials and simple tools, the new dinner service will be used by the HS2 station team to celebrate construction milestones through annual meals with local communities and stakeholders – all served and eaten from the service.

The first celebratory meal took place at the Old Oak Common station site on Saturday 21st September, with 80 people attending including the young people who made the sustainable dinner service, guests from the local community, as well as HS2’s supply chain.

Tom James, Director, Absolute Beginners, said: ‘We’ve spent the last two years learning to work with the clay that’s being extracted from Old Oak Common – and turning it into 100 plates and bowls. We’re calling them Low Speed Plates, because they are. Led by artist Phil Root, our young people have learnt every step of the process: from breaking down the raw material, to learning how to make these plates by hand, to developing prototypes and going into production. It hasn’t been easy, but we’re thrilled with the results.’

HS2 has been working with its construction partner at Old Oak Common, Balfour Beatty VINCI SYTSRA joint venture (BBVS) to pilot other creative projects working with waste from the construction process.

Following-on from the use of the excavated London clay, research is now underway with local organisations Park Royal Open Workshop and Re-Made, who are looking into the re-use of materials in the concrete casting process – an activity that will happen for much of the station build.