Dropping into Soles of Emsworth to get some shoes repaired seemed quite routine. That was until I started chatting with Lee about his passion for old Singer sewing machines. I was invited behind the counter to see his collection – some of which are in regular use.
Our conversation turned to the sewing machine that the Museum put on display at the beginning of this season.
Although this machine has been part of our collection for some time, Phil Magrath and I felt that it was worth putting on display to support Phil’s newly re-vamped Self-Sufficient display. Lee has similar model in his collection and he explained where to find the Model Number and Serial Number.
Back in the Museum I found the numbers on our machine and looked them up on the Singer website.
- The model number 29 K 15 shows that the machine has a 15-inch arm to sew inside boots and shoes.
- The serial number is M 247730. This means that the machine was manufactured in 1900.
Surprisingly, all the spares required to refurbish this machine, are available and furthermore there is a You Tube video explaining how to do the job.
There is another aspect to this discovery. The minutes of the sub-committees of Warblington Urban District Council show that on 10th November 1901, approval was given to buy two pairs of Firemen’s boots, with the rider that the boots should be made locally, if possible – by the then newly acquired sewing machine that is now in the Museum? Who knows.
Trevor Davies
