Northamptonshire: the shoe capital of the world

Northamptonshire has a shoemaking history spanning the last 900 years, and is part of the county’s DNA: their football team is known as ‘The Cobblers’. Thanks to the worldwide appreciation of English shoemaking, Northamptonshire is not only the shoe capital of England, but arguably the world: their durability and endearing style has transcended ye olde England and crafted a global appreciation.

Almost every English shoemaker is based there, but why Northamptonshire? Why not Shropshire or Northumberland?

Humble Beginnings

When shoemaking was in its infancy, the scene in Northamptonshire was what’s known as a ‘cottage industry’: in essence, hundreds of independent cobblers were making footwear in their houses (and sheds) and selling them at local markets. It was closer to a bespoke process, with customers ordering a pair which was then made to order.

This continued for a while until there was a war, which is how Britain tends to document its history.

The Napoleonic War in the early 1800s brought with it a demand for footwear, and factories began springing up with new-fangled machinery for mass production. The guys who had previously been confined to their sheds were now in factories with fellow shoemakers, creating footwear under one roof.

The 1800s also brought about the use of one particular machine that has become synonymous with English shoes: the Goodyear Welt. Charles Goodyear Jr., using money from his father’s hugely successful tyre company (yes, that one), patented the machine we know and love in 1869. It was now possible to mass produce shoes of durability, which could be repaired, which has become the hallmark of the country’s footwear output.

A few decades and countless more wars later, the number of factories in Northamptonshire has fluctuated considerably, with only a few steadfast companies left crafting their shoes 100% in Northamptonshire.

Location, location, location

A lot has changed over the past 900 years, which is a vast understatement. However, one thing that hasn’t is the location of England’s footwear industry. One of the main reasons for this initially was the county’s location, which is pretty much smack-bang in the centre of England.

Although ‘the middle of England’ is a title proudly held by a town called Meriden in Coventry (they have a 500-year-old monument to prove it and everything), Northamptonshire isn’t far off. In the days before fast cars and DPD, being in a central location made it easier to transport your goods across the country, and the expansive waterways made this job even easier with the use of boats and canal horses.

Herding cattle

Northamptonshire (how many times can I say Northamptonshire?) is surrounded by tranquil fields and grazing cattle, just like the quintessential image of the Great British countryside. That cattle is where they would get the leather from, cutting down on supply times.

Tanning

England is a terrible place to get a tan, unless it’s in Northamptonshire.

The use of oak bark in tanning leather was used extensively for soles, due to its hardy nature and resilience to weather, and the county had plenty of bountiful woodland from which to take stock.

You can still find oak bark tanning used on premium footwear collections, as it allows the shoemaker to show off a bit with techniques like in-channel stitching, where a small channel is cut into the leather and stuck back after the stitching is complete.

It speaks volumes that the location, techniques and materials used in shoemaking haven’t changed all that much in over 130 years - though I’m sad to say that you won’t have your shoes delivered by horse.