03/06/2026
Earlier this week, we introduced you to a boot. And a mysterious boot it was. So mysterious in fact that Broadgreen Curator Melissa fell down a rabbit hole in the hope of finding out more.
This boot, along with three others, none of which matched, were discovered under the floorboards of Adeline's Cottage in the early 2000s.
The boot dates to around 1855, it is a child's boot, a girl's right boot to be precise. The other three boots were also children's boots - a girls left boot, and two boy's boots.
The tradition of concealing shoes in buildings goes back centuries. Shoes were often placed in chimneys, roofs, or under floorboards. Concealed shoes were sometimes placed in family groups, with a shoe to represent each member of the family. Why exactly shoes were concealed within a building has puzzled historians for years. However, most believe that it was done as a sort of ritual to ward off evil, bring good luck, or encourage fertility.
The exact reason why our four boots were placed under the cottage floorboards, well we may never know.
These boots are now safely cared for in Broadgreen's collection. Visit us at Broadgreen House to discover more hidden stories from Nelson's past.
