Fabulous Work of Last Traditional Clog Maker Showcased in Spring Fling
Workshop open to visitors while home of great Scottish painter E A Hornel hosts exhibition of furniture traditional crafts project
For this year’s Spring Fling one of Scotland’s last makers of traditional clogs has been teaching a group of young people the art of making shoes by hand.
Visitors can also go to his amazing workshop and see him at work creating clogs and other types of hand-made shoes.
Right up until the 1950s clogs, and clog boots, were common in Dumfries and Galloway, and the region even used to export them to Lancashire.
Godfrey Smith is the last keeper of this long tradition in the region, and even has a museum of clogs from around the world, at his workshop in Balmaclellan, Castle Douglas.
A maker of all kinds of hand-made shoes, he still has orders for around half a dozen pairs of traditional lace-up clogs and clog boots (as opposed to the slip on Dutch variety) each year.
As part of Spring Fling’s Modern Heritage Craft Project, Godfrey and furniture designer Ian Cameron-Smith, have been passing on some of their skills so they are safe for another generation.
Godfrey and Ian led intensive workshops and the young people used the skills they learned to make functional objects. These are being exhibited at Broughton House, Kirkcudbright, the former home of artist E A Hornel (whose family had been boot and shoemakers for four generations), which is now in the care of the National Trust for Scotland (NTS). The exhibition is included in the cost of admission to the property, which is free to members of the NTS, the National Trust and other affiliated heritage organisations.
Godfrey said: “Clogs used to be incredibly common in Dumfries and Galloway, right up to the 1950s. In fact, we were such a centre of manufacture that we used to sell them to Lancashire.
“People really appreciate the fact that someone is still making them. I get orders for around six pairs a year, and a lot of older people love coming in and seeing all the old pictures and exhibits in my museum.”
Until Wellies came along clogs were among the best ways for working people to keep their feet dry, and they were very long lasting. Many used to have iron rims called ‘cackers’, which were nailed to the sole like a horse shoe.
Godfrey took up the trade in 1976 after working on a construction site near Newton Stewart where a colleague was wearing clogs – he learned the trade from a local expert who then retired, leaving Godfrey some of his equipment.
The Modern Heritage Craft project saw Godfrey teach six young people a range of skills and they made shoes in all sorts of styles. Among them was 19-year-old Kyna Hodges from near Moniaive who made some traditional Derby boot 
clogs.
She said: “What an amazing opportunity! I have always been interested in history and how things were made, so how could I pass up the chance to do something like this. I made the most fantastic and beautiful pair of Derby boots. I can’t get enough of showing them off. And it was such a pleasure to see a craftsman in his element.”
Three young people worked with Ian Cameron-Smith, who is based at Twynholm near Kirkcudbright, with each aiming to make a small piece of furniture. Originally from Glasgow, Ian has had his own design business since 1979.
David White, aged 16, from Shawhead, decided to take part because he wanted to learn new skills in old crafts. He said: “I have never undergone a serious woodwork project such as this before. I made a revolving bookcase although it could be used for a multitude of purposes not necessarily just for books.
“I enjoyed working with the tools and seeing the roughly cut timber being turned into a beautiful piece of furniture.”
Leah Black, Spring Fling Director, said: “Traditional crafts have a very important place in the modern world. This project is all about making sure that the skills involved are passed down to a new generation.
“It has been really inspiring to see what the young people have created – some chose to make traditional items like clogs, while others wanted to come up with very 21st century designs.
“In an age of mass manufacturing it’s great that we have craft makers like Godfrey and Ian who are keen to act as mentors and to introduce others to the beauties of the unique and hand-made.”
Spring Fling runs from 24-26 May and features 95 artists all across Dumfries and Galloway.
