The Duke of Wellington's Boots, Walmer Castle

In the early 1800s Arthur Wellesley, then Viscount Wellington, asked his shoemaker to make boots in this style because they were easier to wear with trousers. After his victory over Napoleon Bonaparte at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815, Wellington’s boots achieved the status of must-have fashionable footwear and duly became known as ‘Wellingtons’. This particular pair is made of soft calfskin, polished black, with tan soles. Spurs are fixed to the heels.