Est. 1879, Crockett & Jones, fine shoemakers

The home of fine English shoes

Cordwainers (a middle-aged term for shoemakers) were first attracted to the county of Northamptonshire because of the area’s thriving tanning industry. Every village and town within the county had its own cordwainers, the number of whom would continue to grow throughout the middle ages.

By 1642, the reputation of Northampton town had grown so much that 13 shoemakers were commissioned to produce 600 pairs of boots and 4000 pairs of shoes for England’s army going to Ireland. The order was fulfilled and it was now known that the town possessed the ability to produce footwear on a large scale.

The industry continued to flourish, propelled by previous successes, arguably in line with necessities of war. The town was called upon to produce army boots for multiple wars from the English Civil War to the Boer War centuries later. Demand for Northampton shoes became so strong that by the year 1841 there were 1,821 shoe makers in the town.

Machinery would soon follow enabling footwear to be produced on an industrial scale.

First Generation

Crockett & Jones was established in 1879 by two brothers in law, James Crockett & Charles Jones. James was raised by his grandfather Henry Marshall, who was a boot and shoe manufacturer in Northampton. James left school at the age of 10 to work as an errand boy before becoming an apprentice clicker. He would go on to work as a shoe maker in Worcester, London and Birmingham. Charles, meanwhile, was from a long line (at least 3 generations) of respectable shoemakers in Northamptonshire, and was himself a clicker by trade. He married James’ younger sister, Annie Marshall – a shoe fitter, in 1873.

Six years after this marriage, James and Charles decided to go into business together but they lacked the necessary funds to open a factory. To overcome this, they applied for, and were granted, a sum of £100 each from the Thomas White Trust which was established to ‘encourage young men of good character in the towns of Northampton and Coventry to set up business on their own’.

The first Crockett & Jones factory was a small building on Exeter Road, Northampton which housed the initial 20 employees. Family was crucial from the start as the firm employed two of Charles’ brothers, his sister and his wife.

Business flourished and production needed to expand, so in the early 1880s Crockett & Jones moved into premises on Carey Street allowing more and more work to be done inside the factory.

Here they would install the latest machinery invented by Charles Goodyear from the USA for stitching the upper and insole to a welt. This made the process much easier and faster whilst also providing a superior construction. It would be known as Goodyear Welting.

Second Generation

With the arrival of the 1890s came the 2nd generation of family to join the business; Harry Crockett, Fred Crockett and Frank Jones – sons of James and Charles respectively. James Crockett and Charles Jones again recognised the need to find a larger factory for continued expansion of the business. By 1891 they had relocated to a new factory in Magee Street, where the company continues to produce footwear to this day. Growth continued and although the majority of the shoes were sold in the home market, the company was beginning to develop an important export market by ‘following the flag’ through the British Empire.

In 1910, a 5-storey factory expansion commenced that was the first steel structured building in Northampton. It benefited from a huge proportion of glass to give superb natural lighting for production – an asset which is still integral for the workforce.

The quality and reputation of Crockett & Jones footwear at this time had become so revered that the firm was asked to provide specially designed boots for an Antarctic expedition. They proved so successful that C&J was requested to produce boots a 2nd time for the Shackleton Endurance Expedition in 1914.

When the First World War broke out, both Clifden Crockett and Percy Jones were called upon to serve their country, and, in a sense, so was Crockett & Jones. The company manufactured boots for the army, with production increasing so that over 600,000 pairs were being made in a year. Sadly, Clifden was killed in action in 1916 during the Battle of Pozieres Ridge aged just 22. Percy however was lucky enough to return to Crockett & Jones after the war, and would become a partner within 4 years.

1924 was a year of great pride for all at the company. Crockett & Jones was honoured with a visit from the future King George VI who paid great attention to the shoe making process on a tour around the factory, led by recently knighted Sir James Crockett.

Fifth Generation

A year later in 2006, Philippa Jones, Jonathan’s daughter, became the first member of the 5th generation to join the company at the age of just 21.

Crockett & Jones continued to export about 70% of production, and the expansion of the retail division, together with the on-going development of worldwide distribution, led to the brand becoming internationally established.

As the retail division continued to grow, so did awareness of the company. The 2012 James Bond film Skyfall chose to use Crockett & Jones footwear for the film, which proved a huge success for Crockett & Jones. Such was the popularity that the following film in the franchise, Spectre, would also see James Bond styled in Crockett & Jones shoes.

89 years after King George VI visited the factory, in 2013, His Royal Highness Charles, Prince of Wales would follow in his grandfather’s footsteps as part of a nationwide tour to highlight the importance of encouraging young people into manufacturing. Crockett & Jones was once again honoured to host a member of the royal family at the factory.

In 2015, William Jones, son of Jonathan and brother of Philippa, became the next member of family to start working at the company.

By 2016, Crockett & Jones shoes were being exported to nearly 30 countries around the world alongside a retail network of 12 own brand stores. After more than 135 years the shoes still retain the attention to detail, quality, comfort and durability that was the hallmark of their founders, Sir James Crockett and Charles Jones.

2017 - Royal Warrant

Crockett & Jones proudly to announced that they had been awarded a Royal Warrant by HRH The Prince of Wales.

1. Pattern Cutting

Once a design or style is agreed on by our Managing Director, it is discussed with our Pattern Cutters. Pattern cutting is the initial design and development phase and as any established Pattern Cutter will tell you, “If a pattern is not perfect when it leaves our pattern room, the shoes will not be perfect when they leave our factory.”

2. Clicking

With the leather stores bursting at the seams with high quality European calf, grain and suede, the clickers are eagerly poised with their knives at the ready. But not just any old knives… A Clicker’s main responsibility is to examine the leather for defects and to ensure these are not included in the shoes. Leather defects can be found in the form of barbed wire or disease scars, growth marks or veins. An experienced Clicker needs to be knowledgeable and highly skilled, in order to maximize the usage whilst retaining the utmost quality.

3. Closing

The Closing Room has over 100 members of staff, a busy department indeed. More operations can be found in this department than any other in the factory, each one of them requiring dexterity and patience.

4. Preparation

Preparation refers to the gathering of all other components that are required during the making of our shoes. In typical Crockett & Jones form, many of the components are produced in-house, including the cutting of heels, insoles and soles. The heel department and sole department are small workshops in their own right and work tirelessly to feed the factory beside them.

5. Lasting

Crockett & Jones uses the term ‘Lasting’ to refer to ‘pulling the upper over the last’ thereby giving shape to the shoes. The last is a shoemaker’s foundation, and can be thought of as their most closely guarded secret. With heritage paving the way for the exceptional last development, Crockett & Jones are continually developing new lasts.

6. Making

Making is where you will find the famed ‘Goodyear-welting’ stitching machines. As the first shoe factory this side of the Atlantic, to install the latest version of a welt sewing machine (c1910), the ever industrious Messrs. Crockett & Jones were able to scale up production to 600 pairs per day.

7. Finishing

Craftsmanship is now in full flow and mistakes are costly. The Finishing Room is where a team of finishers are cleaning, preparing and adding the finishing touches to the soles, that Crockett & Jones customers appreciate so greatly.

8. Shoe Room

In the Shoe Room the uppers of the shoes are hand polished to create the rich depth of colour in the leather. We call this ‘antiquing’ and ‘burnishing’. For some leathers this has to be repeated multiple times with the shoes being ‘mopped’ in between each coat of antique. The lasts are then removed from the shoes, the leather soles are stamped with the Crockett & Jones brand and in-socks are fitted. Finally, the shoes undergo a scrutinised check for quality before they can be passed for lacing and boxing.