History

5 generations of the van Aarle clogmakers

Nicole crafts the wooden clogs by hand in the clogbarn at the Helmondseweg in Aarle-Rixtel. She is the fifth generation in her family and the first female clogmaker. Nicole made her first clogs in 2006 in de workshop of her father who teached her the profession. Nicole’s father is a clogmaker for his whole life, so Nicole grew up in a real clogmakers family. Nicole would like to tell you her story during one of her demonstrations.

The beginning of a clog is a tree. From the tree we saw a sphere, which we then cut into slices. With a few blows of the axe the slices are already getting the contours of a clog.  On a cutting horse de slice is shaped even further with a drawknife, the contours are even more clear now and the outside of the clog is ready. The inside of the clog is scraped out on the scrape bench.

Great-grandfather: Antony Cornelis van Aarle

Born on the 17th of June 1830 in Sint Oedenrode
Professional clogmaker

Great-grandfather: Leonardus van Aarle

Born on the 25th of Januari 1866 in Sint Oedenrode
Professional clogmaker
His sons Hein and Karel van Aarle were both professional clogmakers.
Karel established a sawing mill at the existing clogbarn later on.

Grandfather: Henricus Embertus (Hein) van Aarle

Born on the 5th of December in 1904 in Sint-Oedenrode. Married to Maria Elbertha Megens who took part in the business by selling the clogs.
Profession clogmaker.
Hein moved to Son and Breugel in 1953, where he adopted an already existing clogbarn of the Weijns family in the Dommelstraat.
He retired in 1972.

Father: Hendrikus Antonius (Harrie) van Aarle

Born on rhe 17th of August in 1950
Professional clogmaker and truckdriver
After Hein van Aarle retired with the clogbarn in 1972, Harrie van Aarle resumed clogmaking in the old-fashioned hand-laboured way in 1975.

Nicole van Aarle

Born on the 22th of December in 1975 in Aarle-Rixtel. After serving the army for almost 10 years and working as a truckdrive for a couple of years she decided to learn the clogmaking profession from her father Harrie. Until today she demonstrates clogmaking in and outside the country. This way she keeps this old Dutch profession alive.