This Site is for those interested in traditional english clogs and clog making. I'm the last of the traditional cloggers making bespoke clogs in England. Whilst others claim to make handmade clogs, the clog soles are machine cut, in part at least, limiting true customisation. English clogs were always part wood part leather, the dictionary definition being "a composite of wood & leather". I hand cut the leather uppers and hand carve the soles. I was taught by a man who was taught by a man who was taught by a man. In other words I'm of a line stretching back centuries. In turn I have taught a welshman, only fair since I too learnt from a welshman. Whilst there are certain styles pertaining to each country, a great many styles are common to both. The English tended to carve welsh and west country alder, scottish birch and lincolnshire willow. The Welsh used alder, birch & sycamore. It was said that they paid more for sycamore. I've found it to last much longer thus I no longer use alder or birch. Cherry is also surprisingly durable and stable.

I use young 20-30 year old Welsh Marches sycamore cut green with the centuries old traditional 3 swivel knives out of a split trunk of between 6 - 8 inches in diameter. This allows the wood to be cut following the grain and minimises the risk of tension within the wood causing splits and uneven shrinkage. Shrinkage is minimal in sycamore and in bygone days sycamore clogs could be and were cut out of living trees and finished the same day. However, central heating has made this a rather more risky proposition so I do allow the wood to lose much of its moisture before lasting and nailing on the leather upper.

The leather I use is crust dyed chrome, between 2 - 4 mm thick and waterproof. I haven't used veg tan leather for over 20 years as it is neither waterproof nor supple. It's generally too stiff to be initially comfortable and it's stitch strength is very poor. It was never used in traditional clogmaking. I don't use the thin predyed [sprayed] chrome leather as it is altogether too thin and looks, I think, naff. It only came to be used in clogmaking when makers were desperately trying to produce cheap footwear. However patent leather was used for some dancing clogs in late victorian times.

I hand dye each pair to the customer's wishes but cannot promise to get an exact match as the leather has so much oil within its structure that it inevitably influences the final colour. Hides vary in their oil content and there are even variations within each hide. Like stoneware pottery glazes, the nature of the materials preclude exactitude and the lighter the colour requested the more problematical. One cannot dye a leather (that is infuse its structure) white so this is the one colour I will not do - I do not use paints. As of 2005 I have sourced 40 year old rolls of waxed kip clog leather, so I can now finally use my half round bottom glazer in anger! [don't ask, well if you must]

Crimping is hand done individually on each pair as the leather is too supple to emboss, hence the price. Customers can submit designs to be worked into the leather.

About The Craftsman

Jeremy has travelled in Spain and France researching European clog making traditions. He demonstrates his skill at County and Craft Fairs across Britain during the summer.

He is the last person in England following a centuries old craft. Others use machine soles which may preclude an acceptable fit, or work with a mixture of machine and traditional tools using preplanked dry wood. In Wales Geraint Parfitt is the only traditional clogmaker, the only other maker largely using machinery to make soles