Gentle Craft - Shoe Museum

04/09/2026

Deze want werd in 2010 aangetroffen in de bouwput van de Markthal. Het is aangetroffen in een ophogingslaag achter een pand aan de voormalige Molenstraat en dateert uit de eerste helft van de 15e eeuw.

De want is gemaakt van dik leer en heeft een aparte uitsparing voor de wijsvinger en duim. Hierdoor is het mogelijk een betere knijpbeweging te maken ten op zichtte van een gebruikelijke want, waar alleen de duim een uitsparing kent. Vermoedelijk is de want gebruikt tijdens het uitoefenen van een ambacht.

De want meet 20 cm lang 10,5 cm breed.

30/08/2026

11/08/2026

Roman Vindolanda | Shoesday

It’s Tuesday so we are once again highlighting our amazing collection of ancient leather shoes. This week, something a little different!

At #14: The offcuts

Alongside thousands of ancient leather shoes, the Vindolanda collection contains a substantial assemblage of leather offcuts and manufacturing waste. These fragments provide valuable evidence for the processes of leatherworking and footwear production, with some retaining the negative impressions of the shapes cut from the hide.

During the re-examination of the leather assemblage undertaken at Vindolanda during the 2020 lockdown, one particularly unusual fragment was identified. Among the many bags of offcuts was a small piece of leather that had been deliberately cut into the form of a small animal, resembling a mouse.

This remarkable little artefact is now out of the bag and on display at Roman Vindolanda.

Shoesday is all about celebrating shoes — ancient and modern alike.

06/08/2026

05/08/2026

Reconstruction of a Sedgeford-Jn style shoe from Dordrecht NL, dating from the third quarter of the 14th century. Needle point poulaine toe, people often ask what is its function?

24/07/2026

Reconstruction of the Domhoff-M style child's shoe from Vindolanda ( based on drawing of the original from the display). Pattern took 8 hours, pair of shoes 6 hours. Why not green? we can't know the original colour.

07/07/2026

Reconstruction of a child's shoe (style Banna-M) from Birdoswald GB. working time 8 hours ( 3 of which were polishing the edges)

07/07/2026

To celebrate the Unearthing Vindolanda: Footwear from the Edge of the Roman Empire exhibition at the Bata Shoe Museum, we’re once again turning Tuesday into Shoesday.
Each week, “Shoesday” highlights remarkable Roman footwear from our collection. With nearly 5,000 ancient shoes discovered at Vindolanda, we could keep this series going for quite some time.

At #10: The display

One of the first sights to greet visitors to the Vindolanda museum since 2011, the Wall of Shoes has become an icon of the Vindolanda Gallery.

Military boots, finely crafted sandals and children’s shoes are displayed side by side, revealing the diversity of the community that lived here nearly 2,000 years ago.

Each shoe is a personal connection to the people of Roman Vindolanda.

📷 The shoe wall, gallery one at Vindolanda

Shoesday is all about celebrating shoes — ancient and modern alike.