Shoe Studies
Shoe tools that were used:
o Sleek Stick – For buffing and polishing shoes
o Wooden last – Used to shape leather
o Edge Iron – Moulding and shaping the edge of the shoe sole
o Last pliers – Pliers for pulling the leather
o Heel Stiffener – For inside the shoe
Shoe materials:
o Goat skin
o Lamb skin (Persian lamb)
o Snake skin
o Lizard skin
History of shoes in Norwich:
o ‘Start Right’ shoes opened in Norwich in 1792 o ‘Start Right’ used to be where the city hall is now
o In 1918 ‘Start Right’ began making children’s shoes
o They used the ‘V’ shaped heel to help support children’s feet – stopped the heel from rolling in
o They then started making shoes for children in different sizes – width and length
o They were the first company to start measuring children’s feet
o In 1918 the ‘Van Dal’ shoe factory opened in Norwich (it is still here today) o They were very noisy, dirty, dangerous factories
o Highly skilled shoe makers would take the leather home for delicate stitch work. The men would work in the factories, operating machinery etc, and the women would do the stitch work
o In 1920 the ‘Van Dal’ factory became specialists in gold and silver brocade shoes (fabric shoes). And also shoes made of reptile skins
o Snake skin was very popular in the 1950’s for women’s leisure
o In 1964 ‘Van Dal’ was making 30,000 pairs of shoes a week!
o In the 1980’s Norwich union came about and stole many of the women who worked in the shoe factories to come and work for them o Meaning there were less and less women working with shoes
o Both companies were big employers
o Now days, because it’s cheaper to buy from abroad, the leather parts are made in China and shipped to Norwich so the soles can be put on there
