Soutar’s Shop at Birse was the humble timber shack where generations of Deeside villagers went to get their shoes made and repaired.
It opened in 1897, and the store a few miles from Aboyne was a bustling cornerstone of the rural community for decades.
But when it closed in 1941, it became stuck in time.
The shop, with its contents intact, stood dormant as something of a “rare time capsule”.
It was only “rediscovered” in 1999 – with locals shocked to find everything just as it had been left when the final cobbler closed up 58 years prior.
One newspaper report said it was “as if the shoemaker had walked out and forgotten to come back”.
Soutar’s Shop was handed to the Birse Community Trust the following year, but now urgent repairs are needed to save this unique window into the past.
The fascinating curiosity is at risk of harm from the elements and a rodent infestation…
Materials and stock ‘left untouched’ at Birse soutar’s hop
The shoemaker’s was built for James Merchant, who lived at the nearby Muir Croft at Birse.
Mr Merchant died in 1941 and his son, also James, carried it on for a few more years.
After this, documents sent to Aberdeenshire Council say the shop “lay undisturbed, with tools, materials and stock untouched until being ‘rediscovered’ following the death of Merchant’s daughter in 1999”.
They found two rooms: a store to the front and workshop at the back.
Both were packed with the tools of the trade, materials, stock and even records of sales.
It is now an A-listed building, hailed as a “frozen-in-time record of shoemaking in the north-east in the early 1900s”.
Why is Birse Soutar’s Shop so special?
Architects working on the upgrades say this shop is “an outstanding surviving example of a rural shop purpose built before the early expansion of commercial shoemaking in Scotland”.
They add: “There are no other known examples of this building type with this level of preservation in Scotland
“It is an important and rare example of small industry and local life in the late 19th and early 20th centuries… The building is considered to be an extremely rare surviving
example of its type.”
There are more than 750 objects in there, including furniture, tools stock and sepia-tinted advertising posters.
What’s the latest with Soutar’s Shop?
After taking it on in 2000, the Birse Community Trust carried out some repairs and maintenance.
But that was many years ago, and the deteriorating state of the hut is leaving the “unique interiors and collections at risk from the effects of damp”.
Have a look inside here:
Experts say: “The condition of external fabric is now generally poor, and is beginning to negatively impact internal finishes and placing the contents at risk of deterioration.”
What needs done?
The Birse Community Trust ordered studies on the shop in 2022 “due to increasing concerns” about it.
Experts found the brickwork at chimney was “failing”, timbers were rotting and ramshackle windows were letting in damp.
Some wooden relics now “show signs of furniture beetle infestation” while hessian and basketry “have been damaged through gnawing by mice or other rodents, and soiled by their droppings”.
This is deemed to be “evidence of an infestation”.
And “rodent control” efforts are now being planned, to “reduce the risk of further damage and soiling to the collection, and to bring the infestation under control”.
Did you know about this hidden gem in Deeside? Let us know in our comments section below
A report states: “These issues were considered to place the collections at risk due the increased risk of rot, insect activity and poor environmental conditions.”
Last May, the Ballogie Soutar’s Shop Heritage Group was formed, with 11 volunteers organising the repair project.
Plea for help as repairs are ‘urgently needed’
A statement on the Birse Community Trust website explains that prompt action is required.
The group says: “The shoemaker’s workshop is in urgent need of repair to protect the building and the collection of shoemaking artefacts it houses.
“We are working hard behind the scenes assessing the structure of the building the condition of the collection.”
Anyone who would like to donate should contact the trust via BCToffice@birsecommunitytrust.org.uk.
The group adds: “Any amount, whatever size, will help us to preserve this unique hidden gem for both Birse and the wider community.”
You can see the Birse Soutar’s shop plans here.
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