How Newcastle United inspired a Durham shoemaker

“My father, Vincent Edwards, started The United Shoe Services before the Second World War, and he had about 20 shops across County Durham,” says his daughter, Valerie Richardson. “He called the business ‘United’ because he was a big fan of Newcastle United Football Club (in the days when they were great). That is why the shops were painted black and white.”

This was a very brave piece of businessmanship as the central swathe of County Durham which feeds into the Wear tends to look for its football towards the team that plays in red-and-white near the mouth of the river in Sunderland.

It obviously worked, though, because his chain included shop in Chester-le-Street, Ferryhill and Seaham, which all sent shoes to be repaired in his workshop in Durham.

“The factory was behind his shop in Saddler Street and when he moved it to Gilesgate Moor, he bought the premises from United Bus Services - that is the only connection to the bus company,” says Valerie.

“He had about 20 men working for him and was one of the few employers who started a pension scheme for his staff.”

Mr Edwards and his workforce in the Durham workshop of United Shoe Services

Vincent Edwards and his workforce in the Durham workshop of United Shoe Services

During the Second World War, Mr Edwards had to close many of his shops. He managed to restart many of them, and sold out in the late 1950s to James Coombes, who had one of the largest chains of shoe shops in the country with more than 200 branches in the north.

The United name above shoe shops lived on in the Durham area until the 1970s and, of course, the Magpies still fly high at St James’ Park to this day.

The United bus station at Northallerton, showing the supersize U at the beginning of United, which was similar to the United Shoe Services logo. But why do the buses all have unusual trailers - was this a wartime fuel experiment?