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 r...