Peter Burgess
New member
Clogs having been mentioned elsewhere today, it brings to mind something few cavers probably know.
When caving in Wales some years ago, we got to know a man, Ritchie Evans, now deceased, who lived in Glynneath. He was a champion of local history, and had an amazing collection of old photographs with which he used to do slide presentations. One of the things he told us was that in Ystradfellte, the villagers used to cut the alder trees, and make blanks for clogs out of the wood. These blanks were put into the Afon Mellte, and would be carried downstream to Pont Nedd Fechan and Glynneath where they were caught in nets, and then finished, presumably for use by the miners and others in the area. Ritchie showed us a picture of the cottage where the clog-makers lived, and it was the same cottage we were actually having the slideshow in - Godre Pentre, Croydon Caving Club's cottage. Not only that, but in the photo was a tool that the clog-makers used - an adze. The hut warden promptly disappeared out to the tool-shed and returned with it in his hand. "We dug this up in the garden" he said.
An unforgettable evening. Better by far than any pub session.
When caving in Wales some years ago, we got to know a man, Ritchie Evans, now deceased, who lived in Glynneath. He was a champion of local history, and had an amazing collection of old photographs with which he used to do slide presentations. One of the things he told us was that in Ystradfellte, the villagers used to cut the alder trees, and make blanks for clogs out of the wood. These blanks were put into the Afon Mellte, and would be carried downstream to Pont Nedd Fechan and Glynneath where they were caught in nets, and then finished, presumably for use by the miners and others in the area. Ritchie showed us a picture of the cottage where the clog-makers lived, and it was the same cottage we were actually having the slideshow in - Godre Pentre, Croydon Caving Club's cottage. Not only that, but in the photo was a tool that the clog-makers used - an adze. The hut warden promptly disappeared out to the tool-shed and returned with it in his hand. "We dug this up in the garden" he said.
An unforgettable evening. Better by far than any pub session.