Exhibition stepping through the history of shoes opens in Winchester

SHOES: Inside Out features footwear from the past, dating back to 11AD, to the present. The exhibition explores how shoes have shaped and have been shaped by society throughout the years.

The exhibition showcases historical shoes and boots from the Hampshire Cultural Trusts' collection, with a selection having been specially X-rayed to see the designs and workings in a new light. Approximately 67 shoes are being displayed in The Gallery at the Arc.

A range of shoes dating back to the 11th century are on display (Image: Chris Atkinson)READ MORE: Craft workshops, cabaret performances and plays at the Arc this Christmas

Ruth James, a social history conservator who worked on the shoes featured in the exhibition, said: “We bought in a few pairs to fill in a few gaps, and we have a few loans as well, but the rest of the collection is from our main site at Chilcomb House.

“I spent several months working on them to get them ready for the exhibition – stabilising them, removing corrosion, removing any dust and then working on how we’re going to mount them.”

Of the shoes she worked on for the exhibition, Ruth said a pair of Goth boots from 2009 took the longest to prepare, due to containing modern materials which contain unknown ingredients, as well as a high number of metal details which required attention due to corrosion.

Ruth said that the goth boots featured in the exhibition took several weeks to restore (Image: Chris Atkinson)She said: “I thought they were going to be the quick ones!

“But no, they took several weeks. The Wellington Boot we have was very easy to prepare, all I had to do was dust it. Some of the shoes were quite difficult, because some of them are made out of silk, and I’m not a textile conservator.”

Ruth said that she thought the finished exhibition is “fantastic”.

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She continued: “I think the visitors will enjoy it for what it is – it goes from an archaeological bone skate to goth boots and everything in between. I think everyone will be able to take something away from it, I think everyone will have a story attached to the shoes they have at home they can relate back to.

Several of the shoes have been x-rayed, and are displayed alongside them (Image: Chris Atkinson)“It’s lovely to get our collections out, as they don’t see the light of day that often. These probably won’t go out again, this is probably their last hurrah. Every object has a maximum Lux light level that it can take over a year, and because of the exhibitions, the collection will have fulfilled its complete light allocation.

“So, they probably won’t go anywhere else, and this is the last time they will be seen on public display.”

SHOES: Inside Out will be at The Arc, Winchester from Friday, November 24 to Wednesday, March 6. It is free to view.