Doorstops

We all know what a doorstop is, right? It’s an object used to keep a door open, and I was put in mind of that when I was looking for something to prop open our front door on a windy day whilst Kate and I sat outside on the porch, letting Tux and Kane have a play. Instinctively, without thinking, I wondered where the doorstop was that we had used when my brothers and I were growing up. It was one of these . . .

For younger readers who may not know what it is, it is a shoe repair last, aka a cobblers’ awl or last, from the days when people repaired their own shoes at home, rather than just throwing them out. Bigger tasks were done by the local bootmaker. How long since you’ve seen a bootmaker’s shop? Not a Mr Minit kiosk but a traditional bootmaker’s? I used to love going in and smelling the leather, the glue. We still have a bootmaker’s shop in Ashfield:

Elias Stavrou opened the shoe repair business in the late 1960s, his brother in law Arthur Gerakas taking over the shop in 1976. Arthur’s son, Jim, has run the shop since the mid 1990s. Arthur continues working in the shop for a few hours a day, helping out Jim.

But I digress. 

I ended up propping the door with a cricket bat that we keep near the hallstand as a protective measure. Well, you never know, do you.

It started me thinking about doorstops.

A few weeks ago I posted pics of amazing knockers, door knockers, that is. More of those pics are yet to come. Today, some pics, not of cobblers’ awls, but of amazing doorstops . . . 

Bonus pics:

For Game of Thrones fans, here is the Hodor range of doorstops (GOT fans will know the significance).  I took a liking to the gold bullion doorstop and ordered one via Amazon.  When I told Kate that I had ordered it, she said that she was glad that I hadn't ordered the Hodor doorstep, it would make her sad every time that she saw it . . .

And speaking of Game of Thrones items, I want one of these, a fitting that turns every seat into the Iron Throne . . .