Cobblers and workers of leather.
Over the centuries Stowupland has had several leather workers. Some were harness makers others, in the days before mass produced shoes were cobblers, shoe or boot makers or repairers. Often the work of cobbling was combined with an additional occupation.
In the early 20th century Reeve Wilden was a Boot maker and ran the village post office
In the 1940s Robert Calthorpe was a harness maker as well as doing boot and shoe repairs from his cottage on the Back Green. The use of horses in agricultural had started but Albert Cooper thought he was still kept busy (Telstar, June 2010)
Bob (Dazzler) Horrox ‘was a self taught shoe repair man who carried out his work in a garden shed behind the house…he carried out his work with not a machine in sight there was nothing he would not take on. When darkness came the workshop was lit by Tilly lamps, sitting with him and me being so young it was amazing to see him hand stitch real leather to the soles of shoes and when using tacks holding them in his mouth, Bob was the local racing bookie and anyone wanting to place a bet gave it to him at the appropriate time then Bob would bike to Stowmarket to place the dets with Ned Richards before calling in the Kings head in Upswich street for his pint’. ( John Paddy, memories of 1950’s Stowupland)
