General Chat

A few years back, I bought some leather boots - half price in a sale. They are very comfortable and I wear them a lot.
The sole and heel were all in one. Last year, when the heel was getting low, I took them to the local 'proper' cobbler, who managed to graft a new heel on for just £10.95. That heel has hardly worn down.
:-D
Yesterday, I took a different pair of much loved, much worn 'sale' boots to the cobbler, similar sole/heel arrangement. He's done it again!

Buying these boots in a sale, saved me over £120. Cobbler managing to reheel them has probably saved me more :-D

Last year, I also took in a much loved, ancient 'squidgy' Italian leather handbag. The stitching holding on the handle (also leather) was coming apart. It took him half an hour to make the handbag useable again, and cost me £3.50.

my Dad used to repair all our shoes

the Flatters on the butlers side of the family
where cobblers :-D :-D

My granddad on my fathers side was a bootmaker before WW1, ( cant find anything out about him after that :-( ) and always remember my dad having a funny thing that I 'think' was called a shoe last. He used to mend all our shoes on it. Happy memories. :-)

So did my dad....with a piece of cardboard :-D.....very versatile was my dad......if we had no coal.....on the fire would go the shoes.....failing that.....my homework books......ah!.....those were the days :-D


Didn't think about taking a bag to a cobbler to be repaired. * rummages through cupboard*

My dad used to repair our shoes too, I still have the last.
Great granddad, on mum's side (a ship's steward) used to make granny's boots. His father in law was a journeyman cobbler, and insisted he learnt the trade :-D

I think cobblers are much underrated, and 'real' ones can do a lot.
I'd taken the boots to a high street key cutter and 'cobbler', and they said there was nothing they could do, as the heel & sole were in one.

I wonder why they used to be called cordwainers......how does one wain a cord?

cordwainers I think made the laces

That makes sense Joy.....but Wiki he say


A cordwainer is a shoemaker who makes fine soft leather shoes and other luxury footwear articles. The word is derived from "cordwain", or "cordovan", the leather produced in Córdoba, Spain. The term cordwainer was used as early as 1100 in England. Wikipedia


I should have looked before :-D

well I never knew that susan wiv :-D :-D

Yes...I am not sure whether I should now be...... SusanWikiforbrains or stick to Susangoogleforbrains :-D :-D

A cordwainer is a shoemaker who makes fine soft leather shoes and other luxury footwear articles. The word is derived from "cordwain", or "cordovan", the leather produced in Córdoba, Spain. The term cordwainer (also "Corviser") was used as early as 1100 in England.[1] Historically, there was a distinction between a cordwainer, who made luxury shoes and boots out of the finest leathers, and a cobbler, who repaired them. This distinction gradually weakened, particularly during the twentieth century, when there was a predominance of shoe retailers who neither made nor repaired shoes.

Was just about to paste that :-)


For more fascinating information

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cordwainer

cant beat a lump of cardboard in ya shoe,,,,,,,especailly when it started to fall out the hole.

my grandad had a shoe thing and mended all our shoes,no rubber soles then all leather,and he had you try them on to see if the tacks pricked your feet,,,,,,,))) ........,,,,,, he used to put metal stegs on the toes and heels my brothers so they lasted longer,,,,when he walked he sounded like an army of men,,,,, :-D :-D :-D

whenever my Dad bought a new pair of shoes he always stuck stick on rubber soles on them and then put segs all round the heels so that actual original bottom of the shoe never ever had contact with the ground :-D

My Dad had a shoe last with three different sizes on it. Being a butcher he had access to leather or would it have been cow hide. Anyway he made my summer sandals with it.

As a kid my Mum was forever in the cobblers strap broken off school bag so got new ones fitted then ice skating took over but you needed a shield for the skate so off she went to cobbs and he made me his own version (I wasn't actually impressed as friends had nice bought ones but mine cost coppers) then the odd handbags, a new strap for the luggage and anything made of leather the first stop was there. Yes it did save a lot of money for my Mum. :-)

As a kid my Mum was forever in the cobblers strap broken off school bag so got new ones fitted then ice skating took over but you needed a shield for the skate so off she went to cobbs and he made me his own version (I wasn't actually impressed as friends had nice bought ones but mine cost coppers) then the odd handbags, a new strap for the luggage and anything made of leather the first stop was there. Yes it did save a lot of money for my Mum. :-) Oh we did have a Last as well but don't think Dad ever used it

Lasts make interesting door stops :-D

I'm sure they would Maggie but how many of us have one now haha...Like every thing else that belonged to our parents they probably got dumped when they came into our possession and no doubt they would be worth a fortune now. I know I got offered my g/fathers 2 curling stones and his bowls...What would I do with them and turned my nose up at the thought I now know that the curling stones are worth at least £1000 and they are no different from the present day ones ...bah humbug! :-(