[MR] BBC: Shoes Hidden in House Walls

[Garth Groff and Sally Sanford]

Friends,

Yes, the deck shoe, wrapped in a plasticum eternicum bag with a copy of the
BBC article, has been installed in a void space under the floor, accessed
by the bathtub service hatch. Someday in 50 or so years when they tear
Malladrd Lodge down to build more apartments for UVA students someone may
stumble on to the shoe.

Yours Aye,

Mungo Napier, Laird of Mallard Lodge  🦆


On Tue, May 7, 2019 at 1:26 PM Garth Groff and Sally Sanford <
mallardlodge1000 at gmail.com> wrote:

> Noble Friends,
>
> According to a BBC story, the Northampton Museum has compiled a database
> of over 3,000 shoes hidden in the walls of buildings around the world, most
> from Great Britain. Not exactly a foot fetish, these shoes were hidden as a
> way to ward off evil from coming into the house or other building (even
> cathedrals). They were particularly believed to keep away witches. The
> custom in England goes back as far as 1308; that is the date that the choir
> was installed in Ely Cathedral, and a shoe was left behind the paneling.
> The custom lasted until the early 20th century before dying out.
>
> The most current article on the shoes, with illustrations of some footware
> from our period of interest, is found at
> https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-northamptonshire-48126627 .
>
> An earlier article can be found at
> https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-northamptonshire-41507752 , which is
> also linked off the more recent article.
>
> I'm thinking that a well-used deck shoe lurking in the back of my closet
> should have a home in the void space behind the bathtub access panel here
> at Mallard Lodge.
>
> Yours Aye,
>
> Mungo Napier, Laird of Mallard Lodge  🦆
>