Currall’s was a family business, making and selling saddles, horse harnesses and other items needed for riding or working with horses. In a time before cars, horses were a popular mode of transport for people over both short and long distances. Horses were also the main source of strength on farms. They were able to pull large ploughs and wagons.
Documents show that Currall’s sold Warwick Castle various part of saddles and harnesses for horses on the estate. They also carried out repairs on saddles and harnesses.
Passed from father to son
The shop was on Smith Street for over 100 years, passing from father to son. James lived above 59 Smith Street with his wife Eliza and their three children, James, Phoebe and Harry.
With the growth in popularity of cars and bicycles, horses were used less and less for everyday transport. Increased used of steam engine machinery on farms to plough fields and pull heavy loads, meant horses were being used less there too.
Even the Countess of Warwick was a keen early cyclist. She once knocked her husband over in a cycling accident on Smith Street.
The Countess of Warwick as a Cyclist.
A singular bicycle accident happened to the Earl and Countess of Warwick on Saturday afternoon. The countess was cycling in Smith Street, Warwick, which is a rather narrow thoroughfare, and Lord Warwick was walking in the roadway. In trying to save herself from a vehicle which was driving by, the countess ran full tilt against the earl, knocking him over, but fortunately keeping her own seat.1
Eventually the demand for saddles and horse harnesses lessened and sadly Currall’s went out of business.
1 23rd May 1896 – Tamworth Herald.
This article is part of the Through the Shop Window trail showcasing the links between Warwick businesses and Warwick Castle in the 1800s. Supported by The Friends of Warwickshire County Record Office, The Steven Wallsgrove Legacy and Warwick Town Council.
Images still to come
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