Bawtry Shoe Company | Hobson Shoes

About Bawtry Shoe Co.
Taking over from the original shop of R.Bates Shoes, which was founded in 1987, Hobson & Bates Shoes Ltd was established in 1992 in the idyllic town of Bawtry. Following its initial success, the shop soon became known as The Bawtry Shoe Shop and remains as an outlet for Hobson and Bates Shoes to this date.
Several other trading branches have since been established in Newark and Grantham, but Bawtry remains the Head Office for all other premises as well as our online stores.
Hobson & Bates Shoes Ltd is a family business, having always remained in the family, it continues to be run by two brothers, Directors Mark & Gary Bates. The unique quality that their family based management offers customers is a service that is sadly becoming lost in a faceless corporate environment; evoking the familiarity and independence that Hobson & Bates pride themselves upon.
Bringing you forward to the year of 2006, Hobson & Bates Shoes Ltd decided that it was time to explore the expanding work of etail in order to allow customers to view our expanding ranges of footwear online. This proved a beneficial move for both our customers and company.

How To Find Us

Bawtry Shoe Company is located near to Doncaster, Worksop, Retford and Gainsborough and is easily accessible from the following motorways: M62, M1, A1, M18.

Address for Sat Nav's:

The Bawtry Shoe Company
10 High Street
Bawtry
Doncaster
DN10 6JE

Directions from M18

Exit the M18 at Junction 2.
Make sure you stay in the right-hand lane onto the A1 Southbound.
Leave the A1 at Junction 34 Blyth Services roundabout.
Take the A614, following signs for Bawtry.
You will arrive in Bawtry and Bawtry Shoe Company is on the right-hand side, with accessible parking opposite.

Directions from the A1

Leave the A1 at Junction 34 Blyth Services roundabout.
Take the A614, following signs for Bawtry.
You will arrive in Bawtry and Bawtry Shoe Company is on the right-hand side, with accessible parking opposite.

Directions from M62

Take the M62 Eastbound towards Hull.
At Junction 35 leave the M62, following the M18 Southbound.
At Junction 2 leave the M18.
Keeping in the right-hand lane onto the A1 Southbound.
Leave the A1 at Junction 34 Blyth Services roundabout.
Take the A614, following signs for Bawtry.
You will arrive in Bawtry and Bawtry Shoe Company is on the right-hand side, with accessible parking opposite.

Arriving by Rail

The nearest Railway Station is Doncaster, which is 9 miles away and is accessible via regular buses or taxis.

Arriving by Bus

From Doncaster Frenchgate Interchange to Bawtry:
25 - Doncaster, Bawtry, Bircotes, Harworth (Also serves: The Dome, Doncaster Racecourse, King’s Wood) - Timetable
29 & X29 - Robin Hood Airport, Bawtry, Bircotes, Harworth, Blyth, Barnby Moor, Retford - Timetable
99 - Doncaster, Bawtry, Scrooby, Ranskill, Torworth, Barnby Moor, Retford - Timetable
X30 - Robin Hood Airport, Bawtry, Bircotes, Harworth, Oldcotes, Carlton in Lindrick, Worksop - Timetable

Meet The Bawtry Shoe Co. Team

Gary Bates – Buying Director
Gary has been part of the team all of his working life, and throughout Hobson Shoes & Boots Ltd's entire history. He is responsible for buying and selecting styles for our all of our stores, which means he has an eye for the next big thing in everything shoes! Furthermore, he selects all of the ranges for our stores, merchandising and selecting all of the stock.

Mark Bates - Business / Online Manager
Priding himself on his in-depth knowledge of the footwear trade, people and personalities Mark brings 25 years of experience and knowledge to the team. Continually planning business strategies, buying menswear, marketing, web designing and planning, Mark is the epicentre of this expanding team. A self-confessed shoe lover himself (current ownership – 58 pairs), he enjoys buying new shoes and reviewing these.

Sue Limb – Sales Assistant
Sue has been providing exceptional customer service at The Bawtry Shoe Company for nine years now, and still thoroughly enjoys all aspects of the job, claiming no two days are ever the same!

Jayne Howard – Sales Assistant
After five years with The Bawtry Shoe Company, Jayne has become an integral part of our team on the shop floor. With her outstanding customer service, Jayne has developed a fantastic relationship with our customers.

Hazel Squire – Sales Assistant
Hazel has been an employee of The Bawtry Shoe Company for four years, and during this time she has developed an exceptional relationship with all of customers, priding herself on offering fantastic customer service to all.

Kath Wright – Sales Assistant
After a year with The Bawtry Shoe Company, Kath is an integral part of the team, dealing with stock and deliveries, all the time offering customer service with excellence. She prides herself on this exceptional customer service that she offers and thoroughly enjoys helping customers find the perfect buys.

Bawtry Shoe Co. Gallery

Take a quick look inside our Bawtry shop, at the fantastic selection of shoes and dedicated shopping areas for men, women and children.

Opening Hours

Monday - Saturday: 9.30am - 5.30pm

Sunday: 10.30am - 4.30pm (Winter: Nov - Jan) 11.00am - 5:00pm (Summer: Feb - Oct)

Closed: Christmas Day, Boxing Day & New Years Day

Please note: our children's department will close half an hour before the shop closing time due to children's fittings often taking up to 30 minutes.

If you have any questions you can telephone us on: 01302 711970

History Of Bawtry

Located in the Metropolitan Borough of Doncaster, South Yorkshire, England, Bawtry is a small market town with a population of just 3,204. It is this quaint quality that appeals to many of its residents and visitors, with a traditional market town feel from the friendly, welcoming people to small boutique-style shops that line its streets.

Bawtry is central to many surrounding towns including Retford, Gainsborough, Worksop and Doncaster, lying at a point where the River Idle is crossed by the Great North Road. Whilst it is part of the Metropolitan Borough of Doncaster it also borders Nottinghamshire, which is just South of the town. Just North of the town is Robin Hood Airport, formerly RAF Finningley.

The town was originally located on Ermine Street (a major Roman Road that ran from London to Lincoln and York) and was a Roman settlement to begin with. Since then Bawtry has witnessed many historic occasions.

It is written that King Aethelfrith, the Anglo-Saxon King, met his death in Bawtry on the River Idle when he came against the King of East Anglia, Raedwald, in battle in 616AD. This is possibly something to do with the site being easily accessible from the East Anglian kingdom, as it lay south of the Northumbria region, which was a marshy, dangerous region close to the border of Lindsey.

During the Viking era, (8th Century to mid-11th Century) a smaller settlement was established around a wharf of the area. It is thought that Bawtry's Church, St Nicholas Church, was erected for the first time during this period.

The area was known to lay in Nottinghamshire during the Viking era until it moved into the West Riding of Yorkshire region just before the Norman Conquest (11th Century). A new town was then developed by John de Busli or Robert de Vipont in 1200, situated adjacent to the older village.

Robert de Vipont received a Royal Charter in 1213, declaring a four-day fair be held at Pentecost annually. The first market was then recorded in 1247. Bawtry town continued to grow as a river port, whilst also becoming a stopping point and local commercial centre between Retford and Doncaster.

During the mid-14th Century, the port was exporting many items, including wool overseas. It was during this time that the Hospital of St Mary Magdalene was founded, which survived until the 18th Century.

By the 1540's the trade of the town had declined but it soon prospered again during the Elizabethan period by exporting millstones.

Present Day Bawtry

Throughout many centuries, Bawtry has remained fantastically placed, being easily accessible from nearby villages, towns and places further afield, including Rotherham, Leeds, Bradford and Sheffield.

Bawtry remains a wonderfully community striven area, with a vibrancy and heritage many places have sadly lost over the years. A very popular shopping area with specialist shops and boutiques including The Bawtry Shoe Shop, Bawtry is a wonderful place to visit for a unique shopping experience. With a wide variety of exquisite restaurants and café's, Bawtry is also a wonderful place to spend the day.