The man who planted shoe trees

[restingpedant]

Five generations and 170 years of uninterrupted Northampton shoemaking heritage; a shop front that implies you may be impeding the smooth running of the business by stepping inside; the fact that I have more charity-shop-bought shoe trees than decent shoes to put them in; the tangential connection to the handsome actor Chiwetel Ejiofor; none of

Comments

[restingpedant]

They are, thank you. I might have to start wearing them in bed to get my money's worth so it's just as well.

Divall's

[steviecat]

Gosh, I hadn't spotted that it had gone. Never ventured in there myself, but was pleased to see something so old-school Brighton surviving, and always glanced at it when passing. Wonder if anyone bothered to photograph it ?
Another favourite old Brighton place worthy of documentation is Richard's Garage - I think the name of the street's Bath Street, a little off the Dials : the road running behind the top end of New England Road. Amazing pink (faded red ?) paintwork and gauges - go and have a look if you don't know it !!

Re: Divall's

[restingpedant]

Apparently it was always packed with bus and train drivers years back. I hope I'm long gone before the entire block from the Bystander to the Record Album turns into an enormous Starbucks.

I used to go past that garage a lot, but not for ages. That's how these things 'suddenly' disappear, isn't it. You change your route, forget about it, and it's gone.