Lather and Leather: The Lost Trades of Old Scarborough

 

Wandering through Scarborough’s alleys and arcades, one can’t help but wonder at all that’s vanished. Not the buildings — they often remain, albeit changed — but the hands that once worked inside them. The town once pulsed with trades now all but gone: cobblers, coopers, comb-makers, and of course, the proud barber–tobacconist.

Yes, the two often came together. A gent could step in for a shave, a haircut, and leave with an ounce of Virginia blend or a new shaving brush made from horsehair. These were shops of scent and ritual — lime cologne, sandalwood soap, cherry tobacco and bay rum.

The Barber’s Domain

On Longwestgate, where a newsagent now stands, there was once a barbershop known for its curved window and leather strop hanging by the mirror. Inside: a red-tiled floor, porcelain basin, and a shelf lined with pots and tins — grooming pomades, moustache waxes, and shaving soap cakes wrapped in waxed paper.

Today, few remember that Scarborough had its own brush makers and razor grinders, men who shaped bone-handled straights and stitched leather for strops. One such man, recorded in the 1881 census as "John Felton – Razor Dresser," lived just off East Sandgate. His trade is long gone, but his spirit lingers each time a brush meets a bowl.

The Return of the Well-Groomed Gentleman

There’s something timeless about old-world grooming. A cut-throat shave or a hot towel treatment isn’t just maintenance — it’s meditation. And while the trades have faded, their tools endure.

The Men’s Grooming collection at The Backy Shop is a salute to that legacy. From the rich sandalwood lather of proper Shaving Cream to the crisp finish of Dr Dittmar Real Horn Beard Combs, these are not novelty items — they’re a revival.

The Natural Badger Bristle Shaving Brushes echo the very tools used by Scarborough’s Edwardian barbers. And for those with a fondness for the tactile — the kind of man who oils his beard before setting off along Marine Drive — there’s nothing finer than the Captain Fawcett moustache wax, a modern product with the soul of a Victorian gentleman.

Between Smoke and Steam

Many of those old barber–tobacconists would keep a pipe on the go between clients — a bowl of dark flake resting on the counter beside the scissors. They understood that grooming wasn’t vanity — it was dignity. The collar starched, the face clean, the pipe lit. A routine not for show, but for self-respect.

Perhaps we might revive some of that in our own lives. A good brush, a tin of shaving soap, a little scent to close the ritual — the trades may be gone, but the tools remain. And thanks to thoughtful curation, they're available once more to the modern Scarborian gent.

So here’s to the lost trades — and to those who keep their memory alive with lather and quiet care.

🖋️ — The Backy Chronicler

Location: 12 Bar St, Scarborough YO11 2HT, UK

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