DEREK Boxell is a familiar face in the town. He has been selling shoes to residents of Haslemere and beyond for more than 35 years,

Now Mr Boxell, owner of AS Boxell and Son in Haslemere High Street, has decided it's time to hang up the shoe horn and retire.

The family-managed business first opened in the town more than 80 years ago.

The present staff, who have already said their sad farewells at a special gathering last week, have notched up 237 years' service between them.

As well as Mr Boxell and his wife Janet, who have both been in the business for 37 years, Peter Clapham has been involved in the specialist shoe repair and workshop side, together with Raymond Oakford, for a combined total of 92 years. Both joined the company straight from school.

Shirley Bicknell has been a member of staff for 24 years, Rose Bicknell for 17, Babs Clement 16 years and Shirley Knapp for 14 years.

"I am very sad to retire but it will bring a new chapter in my life. I will be able to pursue my hobby of photography and spend more time gardening and may even explore some pastures new," said Mr Boxell, who has two married sons and two grandchildren.

"I am always interested in taking on new things and have in the past been involved in charity work," he added.

During his business career Mr Boxell has served on a number of footwear organisations as well as being a member of Rotary first in Wiltshire and then in Haslemere. He was a Rotary president in the late 70s and later became a Paul Harris Fellow.

He was also a member of Haslemere Chamber of Trade and served on the committee for many years.

Mrs Boxell was a member of Inner Wheel and has served as club president twice.

Derek took up the reins of the thriving shoe business from his father, Sid, in 1965.

The shop began trading in 1919, first in West Street when Derek's Haslemere-born father decided to start his own business following his service in the first world war.

When No 3 The Pavement, now known as 62 High Street, became vacant, Sid Boxell took on the lease and the rest is history.

Sid and his wife Grace "laid the firm foundations of what became an established family business, registered as a limited company in 1960," said Mr Boxell.

Derek, an only child, said he was born "just about at opening time - at 9 am on a Monday morning".

He was brought into the world by Dr GR Rolston, a local doctor of some note who is famous for the books he wrote about the town.

Educated in Guildford, Derek Boxell went on to learn every aspect of the footwear trade at a London college.

Back home after National Service in the Army, much of it spent in Egypt, Mr Boxell met and married his wife.

He continued with his career, becoming first a personal assistant to one of the directors of the Clarks shoe company, and then moving on to one of its subsidiary companies in Wiltshire.

While there, Mr Boxell recalls: "I was heavily involved in the first-ever production of plastic heels which revolutionised footwear manufacturing at that time."

In April 1965, Mr Boxell returned to the town to take over the business while his parents moved upstairs to a purpose-built flat where they lived until their death in the late 1970s.

The shop has been extended several times to carry the vast stocks of shoes from English and continental manufacturers. Customers have come from the local area and from as far afield as London, France and Holland.

"We are proud to say we have served five generations in the 83 years since the business was started," Mr Boxell told The Herald this week.

And that is not the only aspect of the business that has thrived for nearly a century.

This includes surgical work and restoration of the telescope taken by Scott to the Antarctic. The telescope was on board the spacecraft Discovery and is now in the museum of Greenwich.

The firm has also restored period shoes used in television programmes and Victorian hat boxes. The most unusual job was the replacement of strapping for a wooden leg.

"This has been a true family business for the family, which has included a wonderful staff working as a great team," said Mr Boxell.

"Our staff are thought of as part of our extended family and the business closes this week, we intend to keep in touch and wish them all every happiness in whatever the future holds for them."

He concluded: "We have been overwhelmed and touched by the very kind messages and comments from customers, suppliers and fellow retailers."

All that is left to wonder now after such a long and happy career in the footwear business said Mrs Boxell "is whether Derek will now sleep with a piece of leather under his pillow to help fill the void."