Sunday 19 March 2017

of boots and shoes

Salvage Hunters visit William Lennon Boots 


I am actually quite particular about my shoes and boots, I do a lot of walking in all weathers and like to have dry feet. I prefer a traditional lace up shoe, brogues being a particular favourite. In addition with size six feet, it can be challenging to find footwear that I want. Many retailers simply don’t do men’s footwear under a size seven.

For a long time Loakes have been my go to, gold standard for footwear. I might not always be able to afford them, but my favourite shoes have consistently been made by Loakes. They are proper shoes, with good quality leather that are built to last. In the past I used to go for leather soles, and take them in for repair, but it does cost a lot and as I do walk a lot, I was constantly taking shoes in for repair. Nowadays I tend to stick to shoes with commando type soles where I can, or something as close to that where possible. I can wear out commando soles in a year or two, and lesser shoes can be worn out in less than a year. Fortunately Loakes will take back their shoes and replace the soles, but they do get a bit looser in their fit, so replacing the soles once might be enough.

I have tried a few Clarks shoes, buying them at a local outlet store, but generally find that the fit is not as good, and they just don’t last that long, either the soles or the uppers, so they are not worth repairing.

For some reason everyone seems to wear boots these, days, but not proper boots. Despite appearances, often these are just lightweight fashion footwear, they don’t last well, the leather is thin, they don’t keep out the water, and prices seem to start at around £150, and go up and up from there.

I have been looking for some decent boots for a while now, but the Clarks ones do seem terribly overpriced for what they are, and Loakes now hardly sells any shoes or boots with commando soles.

If I am paying that kind of money then I want boots that will last for years, keep my feet dry and have some heft to them.

I was tempted by Blundstone Boots, from Australia, but I have just found out about William Lennon Boots. They are based in the Peak District, established in 1899 and are still going. To say that some of their products are niche is putting it mildly, they do a couple of different types of tug of war boots, hob nailed First Worlds War army boots, and fell boots which have such a huge curve in the soles that they roll you from one step to the next.

If you do want to see the factory then it appears in series ten, episode nine of Salvage Hunters.

A nice pair of William Lennon boots is now very firmly on my wishlist.

http://www.questtv.co.uk/video/salvage-hunters-10-episode-9/