Objects Database

Troll Wedges(Spuds)

Accession Number

1315.2016.1

Object Name

Troll Wedges(Spuds)

Created

21/04/2016

Creator

Hermione Cooper

Accession Date

21/04/2016

Brief Description

Six Troll wedges with central hole.

Materials

Aluminium alloy

Dimensions

2.5, 2, 2.5, 1.5, 2, and 1(W) cms

Number Of Objects

6

Inscription Description

On each one "TROLL"

Colour

Silver

Maker

Troll

Provenance

Back on 1963, a British climber called John Earnshaw was trying to work out how to improve safety protection when rock climbing. He finally came up with a wedge shaped piece of metal which he called a Spud. The name Spud came via an Irish pal called Terrence Murphy, who helped him with the machining and in Ireland a potato is called a 'murphy' or a 'spud'.
We're not sure if there is a connection, but around the same time, a guy called Tony Howard started making wedges that looked very similar to a Spud. Howard went on to form a company called Troll, and within a few years Troll was producing a range of alumimium wedges, or Spuds, a selection of which we have here in the collection.
Interestingly, other companies such as Clog and Parba were producing very similar wedges around the same era, which makes us wonder if John Earnshaw ever got any profit out of his creation.
The wedges we have here are unused, and were salvaged from the Joint Services Mountain Training Centre in Fort George when it closed in the1980's.

Acquisition Method

Joint Services Mountain Training Centre

Acquisition Date

21/04/2016

Condition Check Date

21/04/2016

Rules

Spectrum : UK Museum documentation standard, V.3.1 2007

Modified

21/04/2016

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Clog Wedges
Clog Wedges (Spuds)