Made in England Shoes – A guide to Northampton made brands
The town of Northampton in the east Midlands is synonymous with ‘fine footwear’ the world over. Home to the factories of John Lobb, Church’s, Trickers, Grenson, Jeffrey West et al, the home of English footwear is a true example of traditional craftsmanship, expertise combined with an unassuming attitude.
Philip Walsh explores the history of artisanal shoemaking in Northampton, England.
Northampton shoemaking: A history and a heritage
The history of shoe manufacturing in Northampton dates back to the 15th century when the Assizes of 1452 (‘Assizes’ being periodic courts held through England) first regulated the trade of ‘cordwainer’ (A ‘cordwainer’ being a manufacturer of fine leather shoes whereas ‘cobblers’ were known for shoddy repairs hence the British expression “load of cobblers!“). The large cattle market held in the town also benefited Northampton’s leather trade and its central location allowed a wide area of distribution to be established.
Shoemaking would eventually become Northampton’s major industry, the town’s fate set – its destiny to become the home of fine English shoe manufacturing.
More ‘cordwainer’ than ‘cobbler’, the Northampton manufacturers are now revered the world over for their commitment to the ancient craft of shoe making.
John Lobb, Church’s, Trickers, Grenson, Jeffrey West (amongst others) are all still Northampton based makers of exceptional footwear. Brands steeped in history, some going back to the early 19th century, you can be safely assured that by investing in items from the above – and it is an investment – you will not only be blessed with classically stylish footwear, you will be blessed with shoes that will last for years, ultimately becoming part of your own signature style.
BRANDS
John Lobb
Arguably the pinnacle of bespoke footwear, John Lobb’s provenance can be traced back to 1829 when John Lobb was born in the small town of Tywardreath in Cornwall. In 1850 he set sail for the colony of Australia to participate in the Gold Rush, and then in 1852 he invented the hollow-heeled boot, allowing cautious prospectors to hide their valuables. In 1863 he earned a Royal Warrant, becoming official bootmaker to the Prince of Wales, this eventually led to his return to England in 1866, where he set up shop at 296 Regent street.
Now owned by Hermès, John Lobb is known for its “double monkstrap” shoes, which, like all it’s footwear, famously take 190 meticulous steps to make. John Lobb’s wares have been sported by the man every stylish man secretly wants to be, James Bond (Daniel Craig in Quantum of Solace) as well the late great Frank Sinatra and our very own current Prince of. John Lobb’s motto is “The bare maximum for a man”, which we here at Milan Style think is surely the ultimate way to live?
Shop John Lobb
Grenson
William Green, the founder of Grenson was born in 1835, raised by his mother after his father died in 1839, it was she who taught him the trade for which he would become famous. At the time shoemaking was still a literal cottage industry. He continued hand-making shoes by himself after he moved away from home and in his own home until 1866. Then he became a ‘factor’ which meant that rather than doing the actual production, he went out to take orders, source materials and employ craftsmen to fulfil the orders. Eventually he formalised this procedure and formed a company, known as “William Green & son”.
As Green made more trips between Northamptonshire and London he gradually made more and more sales to wholesalers who recognised the quality and the craftsmanship that went into producing a pair of his shoes. In 1874 Green opened his factory, known as “Green’s yard”, this was the first factory in the world to use the now revered “Goodyear welt” method of construction. They were to outgrow their original factory, moving to their current site on Queen Street, Northampton, where they became known as “Grenson”, registering the brand name in 1913. When the Second World War started Grenson was called into action, helping to make sturdy shoes and boots for British soldiers. In its own way
Grenson was owned by the Green family until the 1980s where it was sold to the Purslow family who ran it for almost 30 years before it was purchased by Tim Little who has been brand’s creative director since 2004. Under Mr. Little, the brand has undergone a resurgence, their brogues being particularly popular.
Shop Grenson
Tricker’s
One of the oldest of the Northampton made brands, R.E. Tricker LTD was founded in 1829 by master craftsman, Joseph Tricker.
Bringing the heritage trend to life, Tricker’s have earned their name by using only the best available materials, including calf upper leather and oak bark tanned soles, Tricker’s craftsmen apply their legendary skills to produce both hand-made and bench-made shoes which maintain a standard seldom equalled in the world of Goodyear welted footwear. Today, the brand holds a Royal Warrant and is a firm favourite with HRH Prince Charles.
Tricker’s also regularly collaborate with our my-wardrobe.com to produce a range of special edition brogues and boots, often in unexpected and unusual colours and styles for when you need a break from the traditional.
Shop Tricker’s
Church’s
Although it was in 1873 that Church’s was founded by Thomas Church, alongside his three sons, Alfred, William and Thomas Jr, familial experience of the handmade production of shoes dates back to 1675. In 1884 Church’s won a gold medal at the Crystal Palace Exhibition (a 19th century exhibition of culture & industry) for their ‘Adaptable’ shoe. The adaptable was rare for the time in that it came in pairs of left and right shoes “in six widths in every conceivable style and material”, whereas the majority of other manufacturers produced ‘straights’, which were identical pairs without a left or right fitting!
The turn of the century saw Church’s expand its horizons and export to new markets around the world. In 1921 they opened up their first shop in London, the same year they introduced their ‘Archmoulded’ shoes for ladies. In 1965 they were visited at their Northampton factory by the Queen who presented to them the prestigious Queen’s Award for exports.
In 1999 the brand was acquired by Prada, who continue to expand Church’s reach in the luxury footwear market and like their Northamptonshire neighbours, John Lobb, they too have also supplied footwear to the debonair spy, James Bond (Pierce Brosnan in Goldeneye).
Shop Church’s
Jeffery-West
A young upstart in the world of shoe making, Jeffery-West’s history starts in the not so distant past of 1983, when childhood friends, Mark Jeffery and Guy West started buying and selling rejects and sample shoes from a shoe factory which was owned by Mark’s family. This in turn led to them customising the products before resale and then in 1987 they officially formed Jeffery-West.
Known for their modern take on classic footwear, Jeffery-West have caused a stir over the past two decades with their flamboyant and elegant designs, in eye catching colours. Known for lining their footwear in red leather they also have a cleft heel, a feature inspired my the phrase “to show a cloven hoof”, meaning to show a knavish (a ‘Knave’ being the opposite of a Knight) the opposite intentions, which we at Milan Style think is something you’ll definitely be doing in these devilish shoes…
Shop Jeffery-West
MORE MADE IN ENGLAND BRANDS
What is ‘The Goodyear Welt’?
Invented in 1869 by Charles Goodyear Junior (Son of the man who devised the method of vulcanising rubber), the Goodyear welt is the premium method of attaching an upper to a durable & flexible outsole. Firstly the upper part of the shoe is formed over a last, this is then fastened on to the inner and upper sole using a strip of leather, known as ‘the welt’. Due to the way the shoe is constructed with a welt, it forms a cavity, which is subsequently filled with a cork product known as ‘Flexofil’. Finally the outer sole is attached to the welt using a high quality adhesive and a thread 12 strands thick, which is used to hold the material tightly together.
PART 2 – Don’t let the accessories let your new shoes down
Made in England socks
Now for the boring bit, right? Not necessarily, the story of ‘Made in England’ socks is just as industrious and eccentric as that of our Made in England shoe brands.
Pantherella, the exotic sounding name of our Best of British sockmakers, traces its history back to 1937 when it then specialised in women’s hosiery (tights), with the company later gambling that men too would like something finer to wear on their feet than the chunky socks that were available at the time. The theory worked and the brand now exports the majority of its products all around the world to the world’s finest department stores. Tellingly, the brand now also manufactures their socks for Savile Row label Richard James.
Today, Pantherella are still 100% Made in England, still made in the company’s headquarters in the city of Leicester.
How to wear them:
As any true English eccentric knows, when wearing a fine pair of footwear one simply must match them with a brightly coloured pair of woollen socks. Choose red if you are bold enough but still want to be traditional, orange if you are wealthy and landed enough to pull off air of the true English eccentric and yellow if you demand that your socks be just as much of a talking point as the rest of your outfit. Oh, and you must wear a pair of Pantherella cashmere socks at least once in your life.
Matching your shoes to your belt.
There are many luxury brands on this site that make handsome belts. But oddly enough, you may find it difficult to find even a British label such as Burberry which is guaranteed to be ‘Made in England’, with most major fashion houses now opting for Italy. That’s not a bad thing. But since we are talking about British made shoes, it only feels right that we mention a belt made in the same country.
After much scouring, we found The Worcestershire Leather Company, based surprisingly in Worcester (for our non British readers, a town near Northampton, where all these fine shoemakers are based)
The quality is superb, the designs simple. Most importantly, the leathers match all of the colours mentioned in this style guide, so if you do decide to match your shoes with your belt, you will be able to find the right match here: Tan, Chestnut, Black, Honey, Oxblood – all these luxurious English leather colours we know and love are here.
