Douglas Zadek, born in London in 1913, studied at the Bauhaus. When it closed down in the early 1930s he returned to London. He worked for Muriel Bell at the Malvern Pottery before accepting Bernard LEACH's invitation to join the Leach Pottery in 1936, staying there for two years. Harry and May Davis had departed to set up their own pottery, and Douglas would be their replacement assistant. His special friendship with Dicon NANCE, a furniture maker at the quay in St Ives, meant that together they could build many of the Leach pottery wheels.

Zadek founded Cobham Pottery (Surrey Pottery Ltd), which ran from 1947 to 1956. He worked with many distinguished potters and remained good friends with Bernard Leach until Leach's death in 1979. He is best known for his coloured slip decorated earthenware.