Clever Clogs

Far from being a northern stereotype, clogs were affordable footwear once worn across the country, as Nina Hoole finds out

- Nina Hoole

Today, clogs are mainly associated with the north of England, but this hard-wearing, affordable footwear was common across Britain from Victorian times right through World War Two. With a shaped wooden sole, leather upper, and an iron hoop underneath, clogs were cheaper than leather shoes, stronger, and better able to cope with wet conditions. They kept feet warm in the cold, and cool in the heat.

Although they had already been worn for hundreds of years, the rise in the numbers of factory workers boosted their popularity, and farmhands, dock labourers, miners and mill workers all relied on this sturdy footwear. As time went on, clogs became associated with the manufacturing-heavy Midlands, north of England and southern Scotland, but eventually came to be seen as a symbol of working-class poverty.

Clogs cost about two days’ wage, whereas leather shoes could cost about a week's wage. Leather shortages during World War Two temporarily boosted sales, as clogs were readily available and needed no clothing coupons. But postwar, as new factories could mass produce shoes and prices came down, families wanted to show that they could afford to leave the stigma of clog-wearing behind.

In the 1901 census, there were more than 6,000 clog makers. Today there are fewer than 20, but clogs still have their place. Modern clog makers supply safety footwear to factories, casual shoes to the public, and dance shoes to clog and morris enthusiasts. Although other countries, including the Netherlands, France and Japan, have their own history of wooden shoes or pattens, the British style is traditionally non-slip-on, with a leather upper that would have been fastened with laces for men and clasps for women.