Northampton is to shoes what Bordeaux is to wine, or the town of Cognac is to brandy. It isn’t simply the best at making its signature product, it’s out there on its own, daylight in second place. Like these other centres of excellence, Northampton reigns supreme thanks a long history of craftmanship that, in its case, has been progressively fine-tuned since the 13th century. By the Victorian era, the town had established itself as preeminent in the field and such was its dominance that during the First World War, an astonishing 70 per cent of the boots worn by the British army were made there. 

Of Northampton’s many shoemakers, few are as storied as Edward Green, which has a history stretching back to 1890 and whose customers include some of the 20th century’s best-dressed men, among them the Duke of Windsor and Cole Porter. Today, the company makes around 250 pairs of shoes a week at its workshop in the town, which are then sold at its two shops, one on Jermyn Street, the other on Boulevard St Germain in Paris. 

As the head of brand and business development, Euan Denholm notes, being a Northampton shoemaker is very important to the company. ‘We’re very much part of that tradition, but our conscious focus is always on how we can improve things. Whether it’s a tweak in construction or using elevated materials, we focus on making the highest-quality shoes in the town. We select the finest leathers and use a Goodyear-welted traditional construction, which allows us to make very refined footwear.’ 

For the most part that means working with clients of their extensive made-to-order service and turning out the refined dress shoes that constitute the core of their collection. But latterly, it’s also involved making the kind of shoes that can be worn with the full breadth of a modern man’s wardrobe. Central to this, is the brand’s waxed suede collection, which launched last year with a handsome Derby and a sturdy Chelsea boot. This year, they expanded the collection with the launch of the Ardmore, a simple workwear-inspired boot in coal black waxed-suede. The boots are lined with delapré calfskin, tanned in Alsace and steeped in nine different oils for a supple and comfortable finish. And they fit, as Denholm puts it, ‘really nicely into a more casual wardrobe’. 

As with all Edward Green shoes, the Ardmore is an investment piece designed to be worn for many years. ‘Every element of the boot is made to last. We use Yorkshire-tanned waxed suede, which is a really robust, durable leather.’ This kind of awareness of the long game is central to the Edward Green approach. ‘We very much look for leathers that age handsomely. This is true of our kind of core antiqued furnishing calf leathers. But waxed suede also ages very nicely and in its own way. And its character changes depending on how much wax it’s got in it. If you keep putting dubbin into the leather, then it will stay dark and finished-looking, but if you don’t it will dry out, like with an old Barbour jacket, and get lighter and more textured. You get to choose the look you want to achieve.’

One of the many great things about Goodyear-welted constructions is that they allow you to re-sole a boot many times over. With good reason, Denholm encourages customers to go to Edward Green for repairs. ‘As well as the great service we offer, coming to us means the boot can be re-lasted on its original last, which gives it back its original form.’ 

Built to last and designed to transcend fashion, the Ardmore is a boot that expands and deepens the Edward Green offering while staying true to the ethos of the brand. As Denholm has it: ‘The waxed suede collection is more casual and more relaxed, but it still embodies our core values of craftsmanship and quality.’ 

Edward Green Ardmore boots, edwardgreen.com