Generations of Cheaney

On Friday 15th February, Joseph Cheaney & Sons had the pleasure of giving a very special factory tour to Sue Moorhouse and her family. Sue is the daughter of the late Joseph Humfrey Cheaney, better known as ‘Dick’ Cheaney and, accompanied by her sons Jo and Tom and their families, we at the factory welcomed them for a tour of the building that started a legacy of shoemaking.

Mick Harper from the Pattern Room showing the family our leather room

Sue’s father worked across all departments within the factory and Sue recounted that when his friend and colleague passed away from TB, Dick was the first employer in Northamptonshire to pay for all employees to receive vaccinations for Tuberculosis, recognizing the importance of having a protected workforce. He retired after 51 years of service to Cheaney and later, the company was bought by Church’s English Shoes.

As we walked around the various rooms in the factory, Sue commented that her memories of the clicking room involved a space that had many more machines, employees and noise. As a child, everything looked busier, sounded louder but the machinery and structure of the factory still remained the same.

  Seeing the finished product in the Shoe Room

We’d like to thank Sue and her family for spending their Friday afternoon with us.