Castle Park Heritage Part 13: Shoe industry
Northampton is a town well known for its shoe industry dating as far back as the 12th Century. Northampton was an ideal place to create shoes as it had three of the crucial raw materials needed – cattle for the leather, oak bark, and water from the River Nene to use in the tanning process (making leather).
Excavation work by the Northampton Development Corporation in the early 1980's, on The Green, southeast of St Peter's Church, revealed a medieval tannery. Tanning and shoemaking were major industries in the area, particularly at the western end of the town.
As we know, many royals had stayed in the town including King John, who purchased a pair of boots for 9 pennies (about 4 pence in today's money). His son Henry III followed in his father's footsteps and from 1229 chose to give shoes to the poor at religious celebrations. Eight towns including Northampton were ordered to supply up to 345 pairs to the less fortunate. He continued to do this until his death in 1272.
By 1642, the reputation of Northampton town had grown so much that 13 shoemakers were hired to produce 46,900 pairs of shoes and boots for Oliver Cromwell's parliamentary army heading to Ireland. The town was called upon to produce army boots for multiple wars from the English Civil War to the Boer War centuries later.
The 1850s saw a rise in factory systems in Northampton. Isaac Campbell and Company was one of the earliest purpose-built factories established in the Mounts area in 1859. Moses Philip Manfield, an English shoe manufacturer and politician also built a factory in this area around the same time. By 1894 there were over 500 shoe factories in the town.
Just before World War I, nearly half of Northampton's population worked in the shoe and leather industries. During the war, the area around Northampton Castle became key in producing military boots, with high demand driving new ways to make lots of boots quickly.
Many local people, including women who had not been part of the workforce before, took up roles in these factories during the war. As men were called to the frontline, women stepped in to fill these jobs.
From the 1970s, the Northampton shoe industry faced tough competition from cheaper global imports. While over 100 small family firms still made shoes, it was a significant decline from the early 1900s.
'Kinky Boots' inspired by local shoemaker, Steve Pateman, tells the story of struggling shoemakers in the 1990s. It was made into a film, featuring scenes shot in Northampton, and later a musical.
"There are a few products that we do very well in England, luxury footwear is one of the most famous and Northampton is the world-renowned 'Home of English shoes'.Martin Mason - Managing Director, Tricker's (established 1829)
What Northampton shoemakers produce is regarded very highly all over the world — it's labour-intensive and skills-dependent, and the people who work in the industry are very proud of what they do - Northampton footwear comes with some real emotional investment."
Northampton's shoemaking tradition continues to be celebrated for producing some of the finest footwear globally. While some factories have relocated, many still operate in the region, preserving its legacy of high-quality shoe manufacturing.
The core principles of heritage, quality, innovation, durability, skill, and success continue to be stitched into every pair of shoes made today.
Last updated 17 October 2025