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This is a bottle boot. It consists of a leather case with metal stirrups. The bottle is placed inside the leather case, and the user places it on the floor and stands on the metal stirrups. This then holds the bottle securely in place for the cork to be extracted. It was also possibly used to hold a bottle in place whilst a cork is being inserted, using a mallet called a 'flogger'. It is not known where this bottle boot was used.

1 bottle holder: leather and metal; fair condition

MERL 'Catalogue index' card – ‘… // DATE ACQUIRED: // GROUP: // NEGATIVE: // PERIOD: // PLACE OF ORIGIN: // NUMBER: // DESCRIPTION: …‘This bottle holder consists of a hollow cylinder of leather which tapers at the top. It is eight and a half inches high. The diameter is 4 inches at the bottom and 1 1/2 inches at the top. The bottom end of the cylinder has a metal ring which extends round the circumference, and from this ring two metal bars each three inches in length project. // When the bottle opener is placed over a bottle standing on the floor it is possible to grip the bottle firmly between the feet by placing one foot on each of the metal bars. Having secured the bottle so firmly, a cork can be more easily extracted.', MERL miscellaneous note - 'There was some difficulty in identifying this item, an advert/ article was therefore placed in: 'The Countryman' Vol. LIII, No. 1. Spring 1956 to assertain what the object was used for.'

Leather, Metal