THE last surviving traditional cobbler in Blackburn has been based on the same location for 50 years.

Paul Memmory was just 14 when he began working with his father Norman in Cheltenham Road in August 1971.

Anyone who has the pleasure of visiting the premises will not only see a traditional shoe repair shop but also a part of Blackburn’s history that has changed little in half a century.

N Memmory and Son Surgical Shoemaker and Shoe Repairer still houses some of the same machinery which dates back to the 1950s.

Paul said: “People still do like to get their shoes repaired, especially if they have spent hundreds of pounds on the pair. There are also customers who have a favourite pair and want them fixed. They seem to just get used to the shoes and want the heel or sole replacing.

“Of course with changes in shopping habits, business is not what it used to be. People will wear something for a year and then dispose of it.”

The firm was established in Whalley Range in the late 19th century by Paul’s great grandad Arnold. It then moved on to Whalley New Road with Paul’s grandfather Arthur. 

As well as being one of Blackburn’s most respected businessmen, Arthur was famed for being the man called upon to find a size 21 boot for the ‘Blackburn Giant’- Fred Kempster, who was said to be 7ft 9inches in height.

Fred made a living as a showman and died at Queen’s Park Hospital aged 29 in 1918. He is buried at Blackburn cemetery. The story goes that when they could not find a shoe size for Fred, Arthur ‘stepped in’ to produce the giant shoes and then keep them repaired.

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Paul, 64, a grandfather-of-five, has kept the family tradition going working three days a week. He says he still serves customers who first visited him in 1970s. “I have cut down my hours recently. I think I have done my fair share of long hours and shifts!

“There are few traditional cobblers still in existence and we have people coming back after a long time. I know people who have been wearing the same pair of shoes for more than 20 years.”

One of those was 62-year-old Mik Clarkson who we met asking for a pair of shoes to be polished and repaired. He said: “I first visited this place back in 1975.

“It is amazing for the town to have such a wonderful business still going after all these years. Such traditional firms are few and far between now. We live in a very throwaway society where people just don’t want get things fixed. I think that element of fixing and recycling has gone. It is a shame.”

Whilst the skills have been passed on through generations, Paul says it unlikely that the company will continue when he retires, “My son loves the business and the place but he won’t  be carrying on the business. I will retire in the coming years and I don’t think anyone will follow in my footsteps. I have loved serving the people of Blackburn and beyond.”