The John Clayton 1871 Grogg

Among the various projects Richard is currently working on, for what is set to be a very busy 2019, is one with a special significance. In 1871 the game of Rugby Union as we know and love it today was born with the first international game ever played taking place in Edinburgh between Scotland and England. One of those history making players was a man named John Clayton who played for England that day. The shirt he wore during that match is on display at the World Rugby Museum in Twickenham and is the only one known in existence and therefore is the oldest international rugby union shirt in the World.

The World of Groggs is honoured to have been invited by the World Rugby Museum to create a display showing the history and development of the Groggs since their birth in the early 1960s. To illustrate this Richard has begun a figure of John Clayton which will be used to show how a Grogg is designed and modelled from a rough piece of clay to the finished hand painted figure. The display will also include some of the Groggshop’s own museum pieces made by John and Richard from those very early days and up to the modern Groggs still being made 54 years later.

Picture courtesy of World Rugby Museum Twickenham ~ John Clayton Backrow 3rd from the right.

The display is due to be on show during the Six nations 2019 beginning the week before England’s first home game against France on the 10th of February.

Needless to say we are all very excited about this opportunity and can’t wait to see the finished figure and display.

More details will follow as and when we have them, in the meantime be sure to check out http://www.worldrugbymuseum.com/ for information on the museum.