Luton Ghost Signs no. 1 - Biggs Boots

The ghost sign written on the wall on the junction between Windsor Walk and Dumfries Street “BIGGS BOOTS ARE THE BEST” refers to the boot and shoe dealers at 9 Manchester Street in the town centre.

The earliest mention of Bigg is the 1851 census that shows Luton-born Charles Bigg  - described as a “journeyman shoemaker” -  resident at 43 George Street.

A trade directory of 1864 shows that Charles was established as a “shoemaker” in Manchester Street and by 1871 a son William is a member of the household. Charles established the business at numbers 5. 7 and then 9 Manchester Street for an estimated 20 years before he retired with his wife Martha to Newton Longeville, Newport Pagnall.

The 1891 census also confirms that 34-year-old son William has taken over the shop with his wife Harriet acting as an assistant. The business is now thriving, shown by the presence of a domestic servant in the household and the description of the business as one in which shoes are “made, stored and sold wholesale.”

A 1907 photograph of the next-door Liberal Club shows the shop with it’s window display of shoe products illuminated by a good number of electric lamps – supplied by the nearby new power station.

The 1911 census shows the family growing up with daughter, son-in-law and grand daughter present along with Harriet and the servant. Photos of the time show a bold painted sign advertising “W Bigg’s Boot Store.”

We then reach the end of the line of the Bigg dynasty. By the time of the 1919 town hall fire (just around the corner) news reports of the time mention that

"The arrival of the R. F. A. was too late to prevent the damage and looting of the premises of Mr. G. Payne [confectioner, 5 Manchester Street] and Messrs. Brown [J. M. Brown & Company, boot and shoe dealers, 9 Manchester Street.]

Photos of the area in the 1920s confirm that Browns have taken over the store as they have their own witty sign painted “Feet Needed.”

William’s wife Harriet died in 1922 and my guess is that William died in the Great War although we will need some more research to verify that or not.