The Pudsey Clog Festival

An extract from the book 40 Humourous British Traditions

Clogs can be used in a surprising number of ways. The town of Pudsey has long been associated with the manufacture of clogs and it seems appropriate it is the host of the world famous Clog Festival. This festival has been in existence since 1613 and takes place on the fifth Saturday after the third full moon after Shrove Tuesday in odd-numbered years and on June 5^th in even-numbered years. Festivals in even-numbered years are better attended for some unknown reason.

There are a huge variety of competitions. There is the clog-painting contest where prizes are awarded for using the most colours on one clog, the record for which is 274 by Mr Edward Goodge in 1871. Building a pyramid is the most onerous event, requiring a vast amount of clogs, so each team is limited to half-an-hour’s building and at the end of the time the judges have to be able to discern a distinct pyramid. Towers and walls don’t count. The highest pyramid ever was eight feet high, built by the Brighouse Working Women’s Club in 1923 – they were said to have been inspired by the suffragette movement.