Rushden Research Group: Shoemaking before machinery

A selection of museum items, photographed by Kay Collins, 2009

Shoemaking Before Machinery

These items were rescued from a small museum that had been established
in a shoe factory that was taken over by Messrs. Sanders & Sanders Ltd.

(left) This last would be secured between the knees and feet of the shoemaker.

(centre) A Strop - A block of wood with different grades of sandpaper on each of 3 sides and leather on the fourth, for sharpening knives. This would be held rather like a steel is held when sharpening a carving knife.

(right) This tiny stove is only 8" (20cm) wide. It probably burnt leather scraps and would keep the workshop warm as well as keeping the glue or wax ready to use.

A last

A strop

A stove and glue pot


Pattens - overshoes to walk on muddy roads!	Bench lasts - fixed to a bench and with a selection of interchangeable lasts.


A wooden soled boot with iron rim.

Some tiny shoes with a buttoned ankle strap - photographed with a ball point pen for scale.


A child's boot

Clasp detail from the child's boots below.

Both boots are the same shape - not a left & a right.


Some small hand tools. An iron, a skiving tool and stitch markers.	A worker's bench to lay out the parts and sections for nails, wax, etc. The latticed end is thought to be for laying down the shoe where loose nails would drop through to prevent the possibility of marking the upper.	A bucket made of leather.

	(left) A ladies goatskin boot (below) A heeled ladies shoe

Shoe workers at home c1890.

Note the hats, and the leather apron across their midriff to protect them from the knife as they worked.

The apron was homemade from a piece of leather with string at the neck and waist. Often the string was fixed at one end and a button at the other end for easy removal.

Mr Lockie

Mr Henry Grose

a shoemakers workshop