{"id":672,"date":"2018-10-24T22:38:49","date_gmt":"2018-10-24T22:38:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mrellis.co.uk\/?p=672"},"modified":"2018-10-24T22:40:52","modified_gmt":"2018-10-24T22:40:52","slug":"churchs-shoes-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mrellis.co.uk\/churchs-shoes-review\/","title":{"rendered":"Church’s Shoes Review"},"content":{"rendered":"

Church\u2019s shoes have been around for centuries. Based in Northampton, a town famed for leather and shoemaking since the times of Cromwell. In 1873, Thomas Church, along with his wife Eliza and sons Alfred and William, decided to open a small factory making shoes.<\/p>\n

These humble beginnings housed the Church brand until 1880 when they were able to open larger premises on Duke Street. The majority of the work was done by individual workers in their own homes, but eventually all the making was brought in-house.<\/p>\n

William introduced the innovative concept of right and left shoes in the \u201cAdaptable\u201d style, which was available in a huge variety of sizes and widths, as well as half sizes, which hadn\u2019t existed before.<\/p>\n

At the end of the 1890s, Church\u2019s looked further afield and expanded their shoe sales to South Africa, Belgium, France, Italy, Germany and the Austro-Hungarian empire. In 1892 Thomas Church retired and passed the business down to his youngest son, Thomas Dudley.<\/p>\n

Thomas Jr helped to extend the brand\u2019s casual and sporty range, echoing the desires of their clients. Around 1907, the first orders of shoes were being shipped to America and Canada, spreading the love for British shoes throughout the New World.<\/p>\n

When King George and Queen Mary visited Northampton in 1913, Church\u2019s made a special pair of shoes which were presented to the royal princess.<\/p>\n

Further cementing their reputation as one of the most important shoemakers in the industry, Church\u2019s became a founding member of the British Shoe and Allied Trades Research Association, which is now known as SATRA.<\/p>\n

In 1921, Church\u2019s cracked the London scene, opening a boutique and introducing its first ladies\u2019 shoe. This was in an \u201carchmoulded\u201d style; that is, moulded to the arch of the foot.<\/p>\n

In 1929 Church\u2019s spread its influence even further, opening a shop in New York where the brand enjoyed resounding success.<\/p>\n

During the war, Church\u2019s patriotic contribution included making shoes for the armed forces, and after the war the company survived all the post-conflict economic upheaval where many went under.<\/p>\n

In 1957, still going stronger than ever, a new factory was opened in St James\u2019 Road, while new branches continued to spread across the world to North America, Italy, Japan and Hong Kong.<\/p>\n

1999 marked a significant change for Church\u2019s, when it was acquired by Prada. This new partnership allowed Church\u2019s a far more marketing-oriented approach to its shoe selling, while keeping the traditional English identity and dedication to craftsmanship.<\/p>\n

To this day Church\u2019s is a well known and well loved shoe brand \u2013 and it\u2019s not just for men! In 2011 a shop dedicated entirely to women\u2019s footwear in New Bond Street in London.<\/p>\n

So now that you know all about the history of Church\u2019s, let\u2019s have a look at a few of their most exciting shoes.<\/p>\n

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1. Classic Leather Laced Formal Shoes Oxford Black<\/a><\/h2>\n[amazon_link asins=’B0768JPT96′ template=’ProductAd’ store=’mrellis-21′ marketplace=’UK’ link_id=’c770fb4d-d7db-11e8-a3be-19d1252311e4′]\n

These are just what they say they are \u2013 classic lace up shoes in the Oxford style. They are fantastically classy, and will make a real statement with whatever you are wearing. They suit formal occasions the best, as they are truly smart shoes, but you can wear them for a serious day in the office without looking out of place. They are made from the highest quality leather, and feature fantastic workmanship.<\/p>\n

What I like about it:<\/h3>\n