A necessary piece of equipment for muddy streets that were not paved or Macadamised. Even when there was a proper surface the streets were still very mucky until horse power was replaced with motor power. The most visible and numerous remaining boot scrapers are on houses directly on the street where a simple hole in the wall has an iron surround and scraper bar.
But where scrapers could be put in a front garden by the door then the design, while following the basic function, could take many forms, some quite elaborate or decorative, as the photo gallery below shows.
