LEICESTER IN ITS REGIONAL SETTING 15 
facture of woollen hosiery. The headquarters of firms with a world 
reputation in the hosiery industry are to be found in the city. 
It is difficult to say how far, if at all, the boot and shoe industry of 
Leicester can be related in its origin to geographical circumstances. No 
doubt there have always been shoemakers in the city. No doubt their 
work was facilitated by the skins obtained from the adjacent pasturelands 
and the oak bark for tanning. Oaks were numerous on the clay-covered 
lowlands of the Midlands. But the modern industry, which is a highly 
organised example of machine production involving both steam power and 
inventive genius, was only developed in the city during the last century. 
Its raw materials to-day are drawn from all over the world ; its demands 
on bulk coal production are small ; the value of its finished products in 
relation to its raw materials is high. We can say, perhaps, that Leicester, 
situated almost as far from the sea as any city in England can be, is not 
unfavourably located for the carrying on of an industry of this type, since 
transportation charges on its finished products and raw materials do not 
affect it to the extent that they do affect the heavier industries. Once 
established, the supply of skilled labour, the development of subsidiary 
industries, and the centralisation of the organisation and finance of the 
industry in the city would naturally tend to attract new-comers and develop 
established firms. ‘These considerations apply also to the earlier estab- 
lished hosiery industry. To-day Leicester is the headquarters of many 
of the biggest firms engaged both in the manufacturing and in the distribut- 
ing end of the boot and shoe industry. Many of the latter firms control 
numerous retail shops scattered all over the country. Like hosiery, boots 
and shoes are also made in many of the smaller towns and villages in the 
southern part of the region. 
The engineering industry is in part a subsidiary of the two staple trades, 
and in part independent. Its chief activity is perhaps in connection with 
machinery for the two staple industries. In addition, it produces a great 
variety of other machines and appliances, particulars of which will be found 
in the section of this survey which deals with engineering. 
Loughborough to north of Leicester is situated on the west bank of the 
Soar. It is primarily a local market centre. In addition to this function 
it has developed hosiery, engineering and bell foundry industries, and 
contains Loughborough College, which has attained a widespread reputa- 
tion as a centre for engineering training on production. 
We have already briefly touched on the roads of the region and the pro- 
duction of road metal. From the broader standpoint of road communica- 
tion in relation to outside areas Leicester is very favourably situated. A 
straight line on the map from the London Docks to the Manchester region 
passes close to Leicester. It roughly corresponds to the main route from 
London to the north-west. Using either the route through the gap in 
the chalk near Luton or that at Dunstable, road traffic enters the Leicester 
region at Market Harborough. ‘Thence, by way of the Soar valley and 
Leicester, it passes north-west to Derby, and from there has a choice of 
three routes to Manchester. Other main roads radiate north, east, south, 
and west to Newark, Grantham, Stamford, Peterborough, Rugby, 
Coventry, Birmingham, and Burton. With two exceptions these roads 
