The ORTHOPAEDIC SHOEMAKER

Hello, I'm Philip Taylor, a Bespoke Orthopaedic Shoemaker, based in the Peak District National Park area of Derbyshire in the United Kingdom.  

 

I started to make 'surgical' boots and shoes at the age of eleven, now so fifty 'something' years later I believe it is time to pass these freely given skills onto those who wish to learn and understand how to make footwear for those who rely on our skills.

 

My business 'The Cordwainer' has recently become jointly owned by the team who have helped to build our reputation as one of the leading orthopaedic footwear companies in Europe.  I have spent the last few years developing their skills and  aptitude for 'getting things right', the basis of all that defines what we describe as 'a job well done'.

​

In 2019 I reached the age of 65, and the start of a plan to wind down my hours at work, but only to give me more time to write about my work, and to pass on the knowledge I have gained over fifty years of making shoes and boots.  I am only able to do this because one man, Peter Shaw, who believed in me as a young boy.  The book is written with Peter in mind, his commitment to his students, and his own belief that I would be able, one day, pass these skills on to others.  

​

Philip J Taylor

​