News

Two British Makers, Different Traditions Loake and Solovair are both Made in England. Both use Goodyear welted construction. Both produce boots and shoes that will outlast anything on the high street. But they come from different traditions, serve different purposes, and suit different wardrobes. We stock both at The British Boot Company. This is how they compare, and how to choose between them. Heritage Loake has been making shoes in...

The Factory That Made the Original Dr Martens The NPS factory in Wollaston, Northamptonshire has been making boots since 1881. For thirty-five of those years — from the late 1960s to 2003 — it manufactured Dr Martens under contract. Every pair of Dr Martens 1460s sold during that period came from this building, made by these workers, on these machines. When Dr Martens moved production to Asia in 2003, the...

Two Creeper Brands, Very Different Shoes If you are looking at creepers in the UK, two names come up: George Cox and Underground. Both make thick-soled, crepe-bottom shoes. Both have roots in subcultural style. But the similarities largely end there. The construction, the materials, the price, and the country of manufacture are all different. We stock George Cox at The British Boot Company. We do not stock Underground. This is...

Five Boots, One Rule Every boot on this list is Made in England. That means Goodyear welted or bench-made construction, full-grain leather, and a factory with decades of continuous production behind it. No overseas-made alternatives, no corrected-grain compromises, no boots that cannot be resoled. We have sold all five from our shop in Camden Town. These are not theoretical recommendations — they are boots we have fitted, sold, repaired, and...