Comments on: The Cobblers of Spitalfields

By: Eddie

Eddie — Mon, 09 Nov 2020 20:06:50 +0000

Very interesting.
I am currently researching my Grandfather, who was a Polish immigrant at the end of the war.
He worked initially for a company called G.Hart ltd of Pancras Street (now Capper St) as a heal repairer, later moving to John Lobb as Lastman.
I have so far failed to find any info On G.Hart; Looking into them is how i found this.

By: Dorothy P

Dorothy P — Fri, 01 Jun 2018 13:26:01 +0000

I lived in a big rented house in Wembley when I was a teenager. It had a cottage next to it that used to be the carriage house. It was the home of Mr. Rolfe (cobbler) and his three sons. Mr. Rolfe’s workbench fascinated me. It was surrounded by metal lasts and piles of leather cut-outs. He was very patient and hardworking and had many customers. Too bad that his home, and ours, was pulled down to make way for a parade of shops, none of which included a shoe shop, let alone a cobbler.

By: Chaim Freedman

Chaim Freedman — Fri, 01 Jun 2018 09:06:32 +0000

My great-grandfather Jacob Freedman was a cobbler, actually a slipper maker, who came from Poland to Spitalfields about 1882. He lived in Dorset Street where my grandfather Myer Freedman was born in 1886 and then moved to Ellen Street. There were many Jewish cobblers in that area until the late 1880’s when shoe manufacturing became mechanised. Many left for America including Jacob Freedman. By 1890 he has established there in Brooklyn and sent for his wife and children. But a fire in the building put him hospital where he died three days later on December 19, 1890. His wife and children remained in London where she worked the markets until her death aged 88 in 1943. She never remarried, lost two the kids young, leaving a daughter in London and my grandfather who settled in Australia in 1921.

By: Robin

Robin — Fri, 10 Feb 2017 06:20:21 +0000

Good luck to russell grimes…keep us posted on your job search mate.

By: russell grimes

russell grimes — Thu, 05 Jan 2017 14:06:06 +0000

I am a proud 31 yr old shoe repairman/cobbler. im looking for any help or somebody who needs a second pair of hands as I have been out of work for 3 weeks

please help

Liverpool Merseyside

By: m.hardie

m.hardie — Thu, 27 Nov 2014 18:27:16 +0000

The cobblers always had a mouth full of nails.
There was also a model of a cobbler that was mechanical and used to go up and down as though it was repairing shoes

By: JOHN JACOB LYONS

JOHN JACOB LYONS — Mon, 04 Feb 2013 16:35:46 +0000

Does anyone remember a particular cobbler’s shop in Whitechapel Road in the 1940/50s. It was close to Black Lion Yard and was well set back from the road. It had a very large window set at a right-angle to the road and the cobblers worked on their lasts very close to this window. Kids (and adults) could stand and watch the men at work behind the window but just about 3 feet away. I was one of those kids. Were you?

By: C.A.Halpin

C.A.Halpin — Sat, 13 Oct 2012 09:03:42 +0000

Fabulous, my man is Ken Hines at Well Heeled

By: Mylene

Mylene — Fri, 03 Aug 2012 12:06:55 +0000

I almost look forward to taking my shoes to the cobbler’s – it has to be one of my favourite place. My local cobbler is in Chiswick and I think of their shop as ‘my cobblers’.

By: Susan Goldman

Susan Goldman — Tue, 17 Jul 2012 08:04:37 +0000

For me, the smell of the shoe menders shop evokes memories of childhood. We always used to take our shoes to be repaired and I loved the smell of leather and adhesive all mixed up. I really enjoyed reading this, so nice to know that there are still cobblers around providing this valuable service.