Leather to last is an intimate portrait of shoemaker Alex Ralston at work. Enjoy watching the whole process unfold as a beautifully made shoe emerges from leather pieces sculpted with hand tools. He quietly explains each step whistling along the way as the shoe changes hands between the skilled makers in his Belfast workshop. This film was created by Roy Spence as part of a series of craft documentaries for the Ulster Folk Museum.

As rural ways of life were engulfed by an ever more industrialised North the Ulster Folk Museum was born from a 1958 act of parliament. It continues to create a lively world of artefacts to preserve disappearing traditions for future generations. Visitors can experience the buildings, tools and crafts of the past from the weaver’s loom to the blacksmiths forge. Twin brothers Roy and Noel Spence have been making films for over fifty years; with subjects including crafty leprechauns, creatures from outer space, and the undead. You can enjoy many of these fantastical creations and more of Roy’s craft documentaries on BFI player.

This film is courtesy of Roy Spence and is held in the Irish Film Archive.

An Eclipse Promotions Production

Directed by Roy Spence

Featuring Alex N. Ralston 

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• Irish Film Archive
• Britain on Film