E.Woodford &Sons

E.Woodford & Sons is a bespoke boot and shoemaker working from a single factory at 85-86 Bunting Road in Northampton. The Woodford family has made shoes in the town since 1908, and the current generation, led by Chris Woodford, relaunched the Woodford name as a made-to-order line alongside its sister label producing ready-to-wear footwear from the same building. Each pair is designed, cut and hand-welted on site, with customers able to specify leather, last and finishing details before boots are built to their own measurements. Visitors can book a free factory tour, offered on weekday mornings and early afternoons, to watch clicking, closing and welting take place on the factory floor. The workshop is one of a handful left in Northampton still hand-making footwear using traditional welting methods.