Lancashire Clogs

I have been saving these clogs to blip on a grey day such as today, it hasn't been a bad day, in fact I have been busy but nothing has jumped out at me as a blip (not strictly true but I didn't have my camera with me when it did).

When I left school I started work on a farm and the foreman wore clogs, not like these, proper working clogs with thick soles. It wasn't long before I was wearing them as well, they had irons and when it was really muddy we wore the tops of cut down wellingtons over them to keep the wet out.

Clogs with irons are fairly high maintenance so I changed to rubber soles which were stuck to the wooden soles.

Not content with clogs for work I also bought shoes to wear for 'best', these also had irons and made quite a lot of noise on hard floors.

When I started by current job, almost 27 years ago, I wore clogs and some people still remember me as the 'lad that wore clogs'!

The larger shoes in the picture are my last pair of clogs and they still have irons on, they have been in the garage for years and that is why they are looking a bit rough.

The smaller pair were bought by my work colleagues for my son when he was born, I have some great pictures of him wearing them as a toddler, he is 22 now.

I wouldn't know where to get clogs now although they must still be available for the clog dancers and Morris Men, however when I was a lad there was a clogger at the cattle Market in Preston (now demolished) and on the square in Garstang. I think it was called Clarksons and the clogger was called Ruben, he made the large pair in the picture.