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The Legacy of Freeman, Hardy & Willis
Market Place, Hitchin: detail of mosaic sign. (R. Baxter) Introduction Boot and shoe dealers were amongst the first chains of shops to emerge in the mid-to-late 19th century. Many sprang up when...
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The Public Benefit Boot Co and Lennards
Public Benefit Boot & Shoe Co., Hull The Public Benefit Boot & Shoe Co The Public Benefit Boot & Shoe Co – what a name! It makes an overt claim to altruistic philanthropy, something that...
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Dolcis: The World of Fashion at your Feet
Oxford Street, London, 2000 Some of the most adventurous and exciting shoe shops of the 20th century – and especially of the 1950s – belonged to Dolcis. Once ubiquitous but ultimately ephemeral, scant...
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True-Form
True-Form, Canning Town, London, 1930s. c. Historic England The boot and shoe manufacturer J. Sears & Co. (True-Form Boot Co.) Ltd. was founded in Northampton in 1891 by John George Sears...
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Manfield & Sons: Shoes of Bespoke Character
Manfield display, 1930s (Northampton Museums and Art Gallery) Moses Philip Manfield (1819-99; better known as Sir Philip Manfield MP), was born in Bristol, the son of a shoemaker. He began his working...
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Joseph Frisby Ltd
Detail of Frisby’s shop in Cullompton, Devon Frisby’s was one of the earliest chains of boot and shoe shops to develop in England. The founder, Joseph Frisby (1848-1902), was the son of an agricultural...
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Cash & Co. and Turner Shoes
Main entrance, Agincourt House, Monmouth In its early years, the key to successful multiple retailing was selling goods for cash, not credit. Bearing this in mind it is not surprising to find, in the...
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The Story of “Easiephit”
Lowestoft “Easiephit” shoe shops closed decades ago, but traces of the house style can still be spotted. The inverted commas were an integral part of the name displayed on shops between the wars. The...
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Spotting Historic Shopfronts: Great Yarmouth
Baird’s, 11 Regent Street Baird’s / Dunn’s, 10a-11 Regent Street The Irishman James Baird (1839-1917) set up as a boot and shoe dealer in Great Yarmouth in 1862. He specialised in footwear with...
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