In the Victorian era, Poole’s street-markets declined as more goods and food were sold from shops, often set up in old merchants’ houses on the High Street.

Poole’s master shoemakers

In 1827 a Poole smallholder called Joseph Charles Hawkes went to London as an apprentice to learn the art of making boots and shoes.

He returned to Poole as a Master Shoemaker in 1847 and set up shop, along with his son Joseph Alfred and for as long as the shop was open, it remained in the Hawkes family.

If you look up, you can still see the Hawkes name stone and date at the top of the building and the family initial on the drainpipes.

By 1861, the business had grown, employing 21 men, 8 women, and 3 boys (likely apprentices). Hawkes’ cellar served as a leather storage space, while a workshop and wholesaler operated upstairs.

Boots for Poole’s working life

Shoe and boot making was more practical than for fashion and they specialised in hand-made thigh and knee-length oiled leather fishing boots, hob-nailed agricultural or navy boots and elastic sided walking boots.

One of the best sellers was the leather fishing boot using the traditional method going back to the Newfoundland fishing era, and commonly worn by those working in the Poole fishing trade.

By 1897 Hawkes’ was probably the largest shop in Poole, stretching 96ft long (about 30m) along the High Street.

It was the first shop in town to use electric lighting, they installed their own gas engine and dynamo which also powered the shoe repair machines, and one of the first to have a telephone.

As international trade and fashions became popular, Hawkes attempted to keep up with the latest trends by modernising with a luxurious fitting room and x-ray machine installed.

How to get here

The address of this site is: 99 High Street, BH15 1AJ 

Or you can use What3Words: ///serves.crowd.decide