In many major cities, you were likely to find young boys and men eking out a living by shining shoes at train stations and street corners. Some probably did alright for themselves but many, especially children, lived in great poverty. In London, however, the boys had a benefactor named Martin Ware, who watched out for them via his work with a ragged school founded to help educate impoverished children.
The Brunswick Street Ragged School also gave rise to the Shoeblack Society, an enterprise by which the boys were trained to shine shoes and sent out in distinctive uniforms to earn a salary. The society helped the boys learn a skill, encouraged them to follow a trade, and steered many from criminal habits.
London Overlooked has some details about a few specific boys, but for our purposes, let’s stay with the Society itself. Who were the members? What troubles did they have? What lives did they lead after their time in school? The story possibilities are endless, from Our Gang-type light comedy to Baker Street Irregular mystery solving to comic book kid gang adventuring. Of course, you can always go the serious route. What happens next?
