Bespoke trade had declined
steadily over the years. Boom-and-bust factory production of shoes became more streamlined with every
decade at the expense of many shoemakers, and the industry in Britain began
to rise
again in the 1950s.
The force behind this latest peak was a
radical change in men's and boys' footwear, a change which this time would affect the repairing trade.
Although vulcanized rubber was created in the 19th Century it was not until
the 1960s that its strength was unremittingly felt by cobblers
everywhere.
A revolutionary process of
all-in-one sole and heel moulding and vulcanizing gave ready-made shoe
production in Britain its mid-century boom, and from
this process a giant was born.
In the late 1950s Tuf shoes made
their debut. They were heavily promoted and became phenomenally
popular, not least because of their infrequent need for repair.
With a no-repair guarantee against normal wear, titanic Tuf, along with its cheaper imitations, caused the
widespread demise
of shoe repairing businesses.
Those that persevered had to, eventually, develop techniques for repairing
these moulded shoes, albeit a rare request.
Fred's firm survived, but the workforce,
at its peak during the army contract years,
gradually decreased with the fall in repair trade until, by the end of
the sixties, just Fred and family worked in the business.
In the
mid-1970s most of Clarence Road was compulsorily purchased to make way for
flats and a car park. The workshop
was moved to Stoke Road, but, prior to that, shoes were ferried between
the two shops, for repairing at Clarence and collection at Stoke.
By the end
of the 1960s, sales of Tuf "no-repair" shoes had sank irretrievably.
Britton's, the company that had revolutionised the shoe industry with its
creation, could not compete with the cheaper imports.
It was the end of Tuf every-day shoes, but the name lived on and today is associated with safety workwear.
