Alfred Sargent - Hand Made Shoemakers

In 1815, long before Benjamin Disraeli or William Gladstone had been Prime Minister, before Charles Dickens or Arthur Conan Doyle had written a single word of literature, William Sargent began honing the skills needed to become a master craftsman and shoemaker.  When William began in the trade, shoe making was done completely by hand in what we call today a “cottage industry.”   Within individual houses, groups of men and women performed all the operations of shoemaking: cutting, stitching, lasting and finishing.  William’s son, who was born in 1826 and was also named William, joined him in this cottage industry and learned the craft of shoe making as well.

  

By the time the second William’s son, Alfred was born in 1857, the industrial age was upon England, and many of the cottage industries had moved into purpose built factories. Shoemakers themselves began utilizing the new tools of manufacturing, and the world changed completely in 1871, when Charles Goodyear patented his welting machine.  The Goodyear welt, as it is now called, is a method of securing the upper and insole of a shoe, as an attach-point for the sole. When this sewing is performed on a Goodyear welting machine, it is a highly repeatable process.  Shoes made in this manner are generally regarded as the highest quality. New tools such as this allowed firms to make footwear in a more organized fashion and on a much larger scale, leading to the creation of many of the world’s most famous shoe-making brands.

  

In 1899, Alfred, together with his sons, Frank and Harry, set up his own company, Alfred Sargent and Sons, in the town of Rushden Northamptonshire. Sixteen years later, in 1915, Alfred moved to the present site of Portland Road, building a small factory which has been extended over the years.  It was the first single storey factory built in Rushden and also the first to have electricity, a vast improvement from the old gas lighting. These changes not only improved shoe making but also provided much better working conditions for the employees.

  

During the 1920’s, 1930’s, and 1940’s, the next generation entered the business. Frank’s son Derrick joined the company at a time of tremendous increase in the number of shoe factories in the county of Northamptonshire. The region is now the largest area of Goodyear welted manufactured shoes in the world.

  

The 1950’s, 1960’s, and 1970’s saw many changes in the structure of the footwear industry. Although exports of footwear increased, so did competition from imports. This changed the development of many factories, and some say it was the beginning of the decline in the footwear industry in Northamptonshire. During this time, the fourth generation of Sargents, Paul and Andrew, joined the business, and the traditional manufacture of footwear was gradually infused with the changing trends and styles of fashion.  Alfred Sargent and Sons had now passed its hundredth year of production, joining an elite group of manufacturers that have achieved such a milestone.

  

Today, shoe enthusiasts from all over the world have expressed a desire for proper English shoes made in a traditional manner.  Many of the old traditions of finishing that William first used in the early 1800’s have been rediscovered with a modern twist to reflect  today’s style and the quality demands of today's customer.

  

Today, under that same roof at Portland Road, small groups of master craftsmen take time to select the best calf leathers and suedes, then cut, stitch, last and finish them as generations of Sargents have done for more almost two hundred years.

http://www.alfredsargent.co.uk/Default.aspx