STAMFORD AND RUTLAND NEWS, from 1927 or 1928
THE WOOD-TURNERS OF KING’S CLIFFE
Only Two Left
THE HOME OF THE WOODEN SPOON
Decline of an Old Village Industry
Half a century ago about eighty men were engaged in the old established
wood-turning industry at King’s Cliffe – a village famed throughout
England for its wooden spoons, egg cups, and screw taps – but today only
two or three men are carrying on this old and interesting trade there. One
of them – and perhaps the most active – is Mr John Ventross Green, who
at the age of 71 is remarkably skilful and hard working, and who is doing
his best to maintain ‘Cliffe’s fame. Wood-turning is a family affair with
this branch of the Green family. His father, the late Mr Ventross Green,
was a clever craftsman and was looked upon as an expert in the village.
He died over 25 years ago and there is no doubt that his son inherited his
abilities. The other men who are still associated with the trade are Mr W
Bailey and Mr A R Bailey, the latter being a carver of butter prints.
CHAT WITH THE “NEWS”
A few days ago a News representative had a chat with Mr John Ventross
Green in his workshop near the Parish Church and learned from him a
good deal about the industry in which he has been engaged for nearly
sixty years.
“I have been told that wood-turning used to be a thriving industry in your
village in the good old days”, said our representative.
“Well, I don’t know about its being a thriving industry in the financial
sense but it was a busy trade fifty years ago”, said Mr Green. “I am
afraid that there were not many fortunes made out of wood-turning even
in those days, and some of the old wood-turners died in the workhouse. I
can well remember the time when there were over eighty men at work in
the trade, but now I am almost the last. There are only two actual
craftsmen left. What a change has taken place!”
“Yes, I agree with you that the big growth in the enamel and hardware
trade has had a good deal to do with the decline of ‘Cliffe’s wood-turning
industry”, said Mr Green, when he was asked to give reasons for the
greatly diminished number of wood-turners. Many people prefer to use
enamel utensils to those made of wood, and enamel ware is very cheap
today. Then the Germans are keen competitors in wood-turning, and they
turn out large quantities of articles my mass production, and we have had
difficulty in competing with them in certain departments”.
“But ‘Cliffe wooden spoons bring more good luck than Germans ones,
and your egg cups are far nicer than theirs”, interjected the writer.
GERMAN SPOONS OR LUCKY ONES ?
“It is good of you to say so, and of course it is true”, replied Mr Green,
“But everybody perhaps doesn’t look at it like that”.
“How is trade at the present time? Are you busy?” Is there a brisk
demand for the wooden articles you make?”
“I have never known trade so quiet for the last 25 years as it is now”, said
Mr Green. “But it will pick up again soon, I hope. We have our bad
times and our good times, and I am sure that there will be an
improvement later on, although things are so very slack now. My
wholesale trade is done at Manchester, Derby, Nottingham, Leicester,
Birmingham, Peterborough and other towns. I used to travel about the
country taking orders, but I don’t do that now. Most of my business is
done by post”.
“I expect you started as a youth by making egg cups?”
“Yes. I began by making egg cups and money boxes and bowls, but soon
I passed on to other articles. In fact, it was not long before I could make
anything that was required – pepper pots, lemon squeezers, spoons,
plough handles, flour dredgers, clothes pegs, bread boards, screw taps for
beer barrels and also for use in dye works in Manchester, humming tops
for children, soap boxes, “pump buckets”, salt holders, spice boxes, paste
boards, potato mashers, rolling pins, and butter prints. I carve the designs
on butter prints and bread boards. All my turning is done on a treadle
lathe. Some of the turners used steam and water for power for their lathes
and machinery. The water mill at ‘Cliffe was once utilised for power by
a wood-turner”.
WOODEN EGGS FOR PHEASANTS
“Did all the old turners make so wide a variety of articles as you make, or
did they concentrate on egg cups and spoons?”
“Well”, said Mr Green, “different men used to make certain things only,
and could make practically nothing else. Some were what I may describe
as ‘wooden spooners’. But I went beyond that, as I was very keen about
the craft and wanted to get on”.
Mr Green described how some of the articles are made, and he said that
sycamore, lime, and ash are the woods used. He obtains his wood
locally, and seasons, dries, and prepares it himself. One of the most
interesting things that he makes is a wooden “egg” for use in game
preserves. This “egg” is to the game bird what the pot “egg” is to the
ordinary fowl. Mr Green has made large quantities of these, and also
pheasants “eggs” (rather larger than the others), for Lord Lilford, of
Lilford Hall, and other gentry who preserve game. The wooden money
bowl, with a fancy design painted on the outside, is another novelty
which the versatile veteran craftsman has produced. But perhaps the
articles that are now most in demand are the screw taps and “pump
buckets”. Some of the taps (utilised in dye works) are 12 inches long and
are ingeniously made.
‘CLIFFE’S UNBREAKABLE CHINA
When the News reporter asked to be allowed to buy a couple of wooden
egg cups, Mr Green smilingly said: “You had better have two made of
‘Cliffe china – they won’t break. Don’t you know what ‘Cliffe china is?
It is wood. You drop one of these egg cups (and he handed two to the
writer) and you will see what I mean. You can’t break it. That is the
beauty of our ‘Cliffe china – it is unbreakable. There is no other china
like it”.
For fourpence Mr Green sold our representative two artistically made
“china” egg cups, and gave him a ‘Cliffe wooden spoon “for good luck”.
The conversation then turned to prices, and Mr Green gave some
illuminating figures. First of all he said that in the olden days of the
industry a journeyman wood-turner was paid only 10s. or 12s. a week!
Egg cups at one time were made for 4s. and 4s.6d. a gross, and were sold
at from 5s. to 6s. a gross. Now he is paid about 12s. a gross and the egg
cups are sold retail at 2d. each. He himself has made egg cups for 4s.6d.
a gross; wooden spoons for 7d. a dozen or 7s. a gross; pepper boxes for
1s.6d. a dozen; and small screw taps for 1s. a dozen. For big screw taps
he now obtains as much as 16s. a dozen, which is fairly good
remuneration, and the prices of other things have increased. Mr Green
remarked that wages were far too low before the war because the articles
were too cheap. There was not very much margin of profit, and master
men did not have an opportunity of saving money for “a rainy day”.
“Have you heard of the ‘Cliffe wood-turner who made 447 egg cups in
eight hours? Do you think that feat was performed?”
“Well, it was very quick work”, replied Mr Green. “I have never made so
many as that. Once, when I was a young man, I turned out 391 egg cups
in a day – but it was a longer day than an eight-hours day. I was working
from early morning until late at night, with a treadle lathe, and was paid
at the rate of 4s.6d. a gross”.
“Are there any apprentices to your trade?”
“No. Boys won’t take the trouble to learn wood-turning, and I expect
they do not think it will pay them to do so. After all, a boy must be
brought up to the trade to make a proficient wood-turner”.
“How old is ‘Cliffe’s wood-turning industry?”
WOOD-TURNERYS EVERYWHERE
“I think it is between 200 and 300 years old. My father was a woodturner all his life, and he lived to be 74. Years ago practically every shop
in the village was a wood-turnery, but even then ‘Cliffe was not very
prosperous owing to the poor prices obtainable. The families of woodturners I can remember include the Hill’s, Bailey’s, Sharpe’s, Green’s,
Hare’s, Dixon’s and Bollan’s. Mr William Bailey, of the “Turner’s
Arms” Inn, still makes cups, bowls, egg cups, and other articles, and he
and I are the only old craftsmen who still carry on the ancient industry,
which has been hit so hard by the enamel ware trade and German
competition. I am always pleased to see visitors and tell them about the
trade, and I am glad to have had this chat with you”.
Mr Green suffered a heavy loss in the Great War, both of his sons, Mr
Herbert Ventross Green and Mr Thomas Ewart Green, making the
supreme sacrifice. One gave his life for King and Country only two or
three days before hostilities ceased in November 1918.
(Mr J.V. Green died 1st January 1933 aged 76.)