Midland Montage: 06.08.1964: Shoe Makers at Long Buckby

Despite describing modern shoes as 'only slippers', the aging cordwainers of Long Buckby continue to produce beautifully crafted shoes.

Northamptonshire has long been known for its shoe industry, a trade that gave Northampton Town Football Club its catchy moniker: the Cobblers. But it wasn't just the townsfolk that depended on the industry. Here we see the declining days of the cottage industry that existed in the village of Long Buckby where workers continue to ply their trade surrounded by the clutter of leather, lasts and the twine of generations of craftsmen.