Barbara Leyland is the third generation of her family to own this business, who followed the Wigley family that established it in 1830. Shoe makers worked on the top floors making shoes and boots to customers’ own lasts.

Barbara’s grandfather is pictured in the center of the photograph with his staff in the early 1900’s. His son, Roger Winstone, extended the shop in the 1950’s to become one of the leading shoe shops in the area.

Barbara and her husband Eddie have continued to sympathetically restore the building and expand the business further by opening up new departments, the design being in keeping with the Georgian property. The most recent addition is the first floor Ladies Fashion and Accessories Department.

The building is full of history and character and provides a refreshing change from the usual high street shops.

You may see a ghost when you visit our shop as many have been sighted in this very old building. It was formerly the ‘Blackamoor’s Head’, an old coaching inn that housed the assembly rooms for the town. Notable people of the time, such as Dr Samuel Johnson used to entertain their friends on the 1st floor. Napoleonic prisoners of war who were housed in the Town celebrated mass in this building.