Founder of our collection, Mick Tighe, spotted a pair of these heel plates on a cafe wall when working as a Mountain Guide in the French Dauphine Alps. The cafe owner was a retired shepherd and told Mick that the local shepherds got the village blacksmith to make these heel plates to give them grip when working on the steep, grassy slopes of the Alps.

Mick took pictures and on return to the UK asked his pal John Stevenson if he could make a similar pair, he did and here they are, a lovely bit of history with fond memories attached.