Many regions have given birth to their own artistic traditions – I am thinking the Murano glassmakers in Venice, or ceramics from Delft.
But how about something less artistic, but just as meaningful?
How about that wondrous piece of northern footwear – the clog?
Your grandparents or great grandparents may remember the dawn chorus of thousands of clog-wearing workers making their way to work in the mills of Cheshire and Derbyshire.
In his 1936 book, The Call of England, HV Morton described the clatter as the “beat of the marching men and women sounds like the march of a cavalry brigade; hundreds of sharp hooves on the stones.”
Imagine the din from the cobbles as workers hurried to beat the 6am factory siren.
This scene could have been any time in the century prior to 1920, when thousands of workers needed strong, cheap footwear.
Clogs came to us from abroad – not Holland – but the Flemish weavers who moved to Lancashire to bolster the woollen industry and brought their own brand of wooden footwear.
They were soon adopted by workers in the weaving towns of the north and the Midlands becoming part of our collective history.
So when a pair of late 19th-century clogs was consigned for sale at this week’s four-day antiques and collectors’ sale starting on Thursday <mar 19> I could not have been prouder.
As cultural symbols go, they might not be the most refined, but for a proud Midlander like me, they speak of our industrial past and the unstinting endeavour of our ancestors.
Unlike clogs from other parts of the UK, like the West Country, these clogs were designed for the great mills of the north.
Cotton mills’ floors were dampened to control dust, meaning leather soles, unlike wooden ones, would have rotted.
Clogs’ thick soles also insulated wearers’ feet from cold stone floors, while iron fittings known as calkers or cokers, stopped them wearing out on cobbled streets and in the factory.
Thousands of clog makers worked in industrial towns divided into blockers, who carved the wooden soles and the cloggers who fitted the leather uppers.
The buckle on this pair, known as a clog strap, was common for mill workers allowing the wearer to walk quickly across the factory floor.
In many places it was normal for people to wear clogs every day for work keeping their best leather boots for Sunday.
I hope this pair of clogs is sold to someone who appreciates and wants to celebrate the traditions and heritage of the north – even if they don’t want to wear them.
At the other end of the shoemaking tradition, next week’s sale features some extremely fine footwear in the shape of dozens of pairs of designer shoes.
Along with a huge collection of designer bags, the footwear was consigned by an Oxfordshire widower who hopes the sale will raise money for a very special cause.
It was David Barratt’s wife Susan’s dying wish that the road on the approach to Katharine House Hospice in Adderbury be repaired.
After she passed away at the Oxfordshire hospice in 2023, aged 77, civil engineer David pledged to raise £30,000 to honour her wish.
Susan’s autoimmune condition of scleroderma caused her to suffer from painful joints meaning she felt every jolt on the approach to the hospice.
The 60-lot collection, donated by David’s current partner, includes pieces by Dior, Ferragamo and Jimmy Choo, with the most expensive item being a crocodile handbag by Asprey which is expected to make up to £1,200.
Most of the high-end pieces have hardly been worn or used and would have graced functions like Ascot over the last 30 years.
It is a stunning collection, featuring the very best names in haute couture and knowing what a good cause it is being sold in makes it even more special.
So, whether your taste is northern industrial chic or luxury labels, our next sale is a shoo-in.
Auction Details
Auction: Derby March Four-Day Antiques & Collectors Auction: including Silver, Jewellery & Watches
Auction date: 19th – 24th March 2026 | 10am
Location: Hansons’ Derbyshire Saleroom
Auction contact: [email protected]
Catalogue/bidding: www.hansonslive.co.uk | www.the-saleroom.com
