THE HABIT of keeping full and proper records was common to many Quaker businesses – and the records at C. & J. Clark Ltd are remarkably full and proper. They are so detailed and prized so highly that during 2012 the whole collection was moved to a dedicated new building near the Clarks headquarters in Street, Somerset.
The Clarks archives are managed by Charlotte Berry and Dr Tim Crumplin, assisted by Shirley Stocker. I could not have written this history without their help and cooperation, and I am immensely grateful to them. Tim spent many years researching, sifting and chronicling the archives long before I turned up. He graciously shared his findings with me, and this book includes much of his detailed and largely unheralded work.
Past and present employees of Clarks have been unfailingly generous with their time, often going out of their way to dig out letters, documents and other items of interest. I have been struck by their vivid memories of life at Clarks and the obvious affection they have for the company and everything it stands for. David Heeley, who occupied senior positions at Clarks throughout his working life, spent many hours patiently explaining the difference between one end of a shoe and the other, and he introduced me to a number of people who played key roles at the company. Among those I would like to mention here are: Neville Gillibrand, Kevin Crumplin, Paul Harris, David Lockyer, Eric Saville, Robert Wallace, John Aram, Michael Fiennes, Dudley Cheeseman, Royston Colman, Andrew Peirce and Maurice Burt, who joined Clarks as a teenager in 1948.
Those connected indirectly with the business as consultants or through advertising, marketing and other related activities are also due enormous thanks. They include: Colin Fisher, Peter York, Alan Bracher, Mary Portas, Professor John A. Davis, Suzanne Stroh, Geoff Howard-Spink, John McConnell, Ian Paris, June Swann and Grant Gordon, from the Institute for Family Business.
Rebecca Shawcross at the Northampton Shoe Museum allowed me to rummage through documents in the basement of her building, which presented a fascinating insight into the shoe industry of the past. Many thanks also to Carol Howard, Paul Charles, Peter Ford, Jenny Coad, Kate O’Grady, John and Jayne Haw, Laura Powell, Angela Southern, Richard Houlton, the librarians at Friends House in the Euston Road, London, Edgar Smith, John Potts of the Clarks marketing department, Anthony Perillo, Sylvia Woon, and Dick Shilton, archivist at Millfield School.
John Clothier and Malcolm Cotton were both senior executives at Clarks in the 1980s and 1990s and, as a result, I pestered them with great regularity. At all times, they responded with good grace and were unquestionably honest in their assessment of what went right – and what went wrong – while they were in positions of responsibility. Members of the current board have also been extremely helpful, not least the chief executive, Melissa Potter, and the chairman, Peter Davies. I would also like to thank Melissa’s two immediate predecessors, Peter Bolliger and Tim Parker.
The Clark family is a big one and I have had the privilege of getting to know many of them. Richard Clark and Harriet Hall have been my main points of contact and they have guided me along the way with a sure and enthusiastic hand. I have appreciated their wise counsel and their great knowledge of Clarks.
Roger Pedder, a former Clarks chairman who married into the family and was at the centre of some of Clarks’ most turbulent days, gave up many hours to help me and I am especially indebted to him. Other family members who have provided welcome assistance include Hugh and Gloria Clark, William Johnston, Jan Clark, Ralph Clark, Lance Clark, Caroline Gould, Caroline Pym and Hugh Pym.
It has been a great pleasure working with Profile Books. Paul Forty improved the final product hugely, supported by Fiona Screen and Virginia Wallis. And I want especially to thank Stephen Brough, who has overseen this whole project with great clarity and calmness. From the start, his skilled editorial advice and general guidance have been invaluable – and he never lost his sense of humour.
I would like to thank members of my own family. My cousin, Howard Palmer, clarified diligently the connection between the Palmers and the Clarks (we are distant cousins) going back to the late eighteenth century in Somerset; my son, Henry, helped with research and worked the Clarks photocopying machine with aplomb; my daughter, Olivia, was always quick to give an opinion on Clarks footwear, both past and present, and my two stepsons, Freddy and Monty, have shown an interest in Clarks beyond the call of duty, always keeping spirits high during my long absences from home. My father-in-law, Noel Harvey, read parts of my account as I went along and I appreciated greatly his thoughtful comments.
Finally, I want to single out my wife, Joanna, for whom weekends were pretty dull while I was engaged on the book. But she supported me with love and affection. She enriches my life and she has enriched this book.