The Last Clog Maker in England

[Marko Milisavljevic]

Just became aware of these recently posted videos about a traditional clog maker in UK, Jeremy Atkinson. Nice production and I'm sure this will be appreciated by inmates here. Interesting hand tools. Introduction is embedded in this post, other parts are linked below. Enjoy!


http://vimeo.com/48955111

Clog Making Pt 1 (http://vimeo.com/channels/artisan/49031684)

Clog Making Pt 1 (http://vimeo.com/channels/artisan/49034034)

Clog Making Pt 2 (http://vimeo.com/channels/artisan/49034034)

Clog Making Pt 3 (http://vimeo.com/channels/artisan/49068082)

Clog Making Pt 4 (http://vimeo.com/channels/artisan/49038851)

Clog Making Pt 5 (http://vimeo.com/channels/artisan/49068869)

Clog Making Pt 6 (http://vimeo.com/channels/artisan/49067365)

[James Owen]

Thanks for sharing!!
These videos are truly outstanding; very detailed explanations of what he is doing as well as why he is doing it.
Really nice commentary on the tools themselves, too.
Great information on a nearly extinct craft......

[george wilson]

These are very well made videos of a real old time craftsman. Reminds me very much of my old English harness maker friend here in Williamsburg. He worked as harness maker in the museum for many years. Now we are both retired(I did 39 years).

He had a hand in several movies making leather things. He made and repaired flight boots and headgear for "The battle of Britain",some of the James Bond movies made in the 60's in England,and others. This in addition to his normal work of making saddles and harness,and sometimes shoes. He came here in the 70's,I think. These old guys are the real article,and are getting few and far between.

Thank you for putting up these interesting videos.

[Gary Herrmann]

Fascinating. Glad I got to watch one during lunch. Thanks!

[James Pickering]

That brought back some pleasant memories for me. I was born and grew up in a small textile weaving and coal mining town in Lancashire, northern England. When I was a young boy a great many of the working class people wore clogs (always plain black leather with hard toes and irons on the soles) during the work week -the more well to do families wore regular shoes during the weekends - but poorer families often wore clogs all the time. It was during the Great Depression and our area of Britain was hard hit. Clogs were much cheaper than regular shoes (and didn't wear out near as quick) so even "middle class" families sometimes wore them -- my mother (who was a cotton weaver) did for a while although my father didn't - he was a lorry driver up until WWII. Some older people (such as the laborers where I served my apprenticeship) and youngsters from poorer families were still wearing clogs when I left England in 1950.

There was a Pub song -- kind of like the anthem of Lancashire working class girls:

She's a lassie from Lancasheer.
Just a lassie from Lancasheer.
She's a lassie of high degree,
She's for me!
Though she dresses in clogs and shawl,
She's the prettiest of 'em all,
There's nobody fairer, than my little Sarah,
My lassie from Lancasheer!

I hadn't thought of that song for years - thanks.

James

[Adam Neat]

Very nice; I really like his blocker, heck of a tool there

[Paul Saffold]

Marko, thanks for sharing. Very interesting.

James, thanks for sharing your personal connection.

Paul