This shoemaker's bench is evidence of the shoemaking trade before mechanisation aand factory manufacture when solitary shoemakers mostly worked in small workshops in their home.
Shoe factory and workers at South Place Worls, Long Buckby
Northampton and the county have been famous for making boots and shoes for hundreds of years. There are some key tools of the trade that symbolise the process - the clicker’s knife, the wooden last to make shoes on and the shoemaker’s bench.
From 1100 onwards shoemaking was a small industry in Northampton. In 1818 there were only 12 boot and shoemakers recorded, but as the town began to grow, so did the number of shoemakers.
In the 1830s, changes in systems of production began to appear. The increasing demand for shoes meant that individual shoemakers could not supply the large quantities required. A large-scale system, known as ‘outdoor’, where one person employed a number of home workers to produce the shoes, came into existence. This saw the town begin to specialise and become the centre for the wholesale boot and shoe trade.
Before the mechanisation of the industry and the move to factory working, from the 1850s onwards shoemakers often worked in small workshops within their own home. They would sit at low benches combined with a seat. The shoemaker was able to arrange his tools on the bench top next to him for easy access. All he needed was light to work by and heat to warm the wax and glue. It was often a solitary occupation and some shoemakers kept birds for company or sometimes sat by a window to chat to passing friends or customers.
Number 66 of the objects selected for the A History of Northamptonshire in 100 Objects exhibition 2025.
© NMAG
© NMAG
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NMAG
©
NMAG
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NMAG
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NMAG