A HISTORY OF FINELY CRAFTED BROGUES

Grenson has been one of the most celebrated British shoemakers for decades, creating shoes for all, from the everyday man, military, gentlemanly style and even Royalty. They have been in the business of producing the finest quality footwear since 1866. William Green was born in 1835 in Rushden, Northamptonshire. His father died whilst he was still a young child and it was his mother who taught him this trade, by helping her to produce boots and shoes from their family home up until 1860. Williams eventually left and continued to craft footwear from his own home up until 1866. The next step for Williams was to venture further afield to source fabrics and materials, employing craftsmen to help with the high demand for his footwear. Williams started off the company in the name of William Green and Sons and it wasn’t long before the name was known and loved throughout the country for its gentlemanly shoes and boots, renowned for their craftsmanship, quality and durability. Due to the growth of the business, Williams opened his first factory to accommodate the increasing demand for the footwear. It was this very factory that was the first in the world to use the Goodyear Welt Construction method. Green and Son soon became Grenson, the powerhouse that still dominates the footwear market today.

Some years later due to increasing demand, the company moved to larger premises on Queen Street, where the heart of the business remains today. William sadly died in 1901 leaving behind his legacy for future generations of the Green family to concede. The business was then passed down to his son Charles AK Green. Shortly after taking over his father’s company Charles extended the factory, making it much larger to coincide with the ever-expanding company. In 1913 the Grenson brand was registered and was one of the first brands ever registered here in the UK.

The Grenson company was a family owned business for over a century. When Charles AK Green passed away the business was left to his son CW Sidney Green. JW Heyden Green followed taking over the business from his father Sidney. It was in the 1980’s that the family business was sold to the Purslow family, who ran the successful footwear company for over 30 years.

The most recent change of ownership was in 2010, the brand was sold on to Tim Little who has a history of shoe designing so was the perfect owner to take over this very British footwear company. We feel that Tim Little has already put his mark on the traditionally crafted footwear, bringing it to a newer audience, with a wider appreciation for the fantastically crafted and lovingly made footwear brand that really will last you a lifetime, an investment that your feet deserve.

Key Pieces From The Grenson Collection

Here we would like to introduce you to the different styles of shoes and boots that we have in our collection for Grenson, starting with…

Dylan Wingtip Brogues

GRENSON DYLAN LEATHER WINGTIP TAN BROGUES
Introducing you to the Dylan Brogues

Premium full leather tan brogues with waxed lace set, brogue punched leather wingtips pattern and single leather sole. The Dylan shoe is one of the slimmest of all the Grenson shoes with an oxford opening, a great choice of smart dress shoes. The Dylan is available in a variety of colour leathers. We currently stock the Dylan Brogue in Black and in Tan.

GRENSON SID BURGUNDY LEATHER LONGWING BROGUES
Introducing you to the Sid Brogues

Premium full high shine calf leather burgundy brogues with waxed lace set, brogue punched leather wingtip pattern, channelled leather sole, contrast metal eyelets and Goodyear Welt sole unit. You can see from these photographs the craftsmanship of the sole and leather work on this particular style.

GRENSON ARCHIE TAN LEATHER WINGTIP BROGUE
Introducing you to the Archie Brogue

The Archie is made from a waxed leather, waxed leather lace sets, triple leather sole, split welt sole with rubber middle. Archie is given a hand-burnished finish which gives a unique and individual finish to each and every pair of shoes.

TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE GRENSON REPAIR SERVICE

A shoe from Grenson could potentially last for life. The construction process and materials used to combine to create a piece of footwear that is built with longevity in mind. A major selling point for buying into Grenson is the top class aftercare service that they offer. When you send a shoe back to Grenson they not only repair it but almost totally rebuilt it, stripping it back to their original state and reshaping the back to how it was when you first purchased them.

In using the Goodyear Welt process to create the shoe, the leather insole is moulded to fit the shape of your foot so when you send the shoes back for repair, Grenson can take out the comfortable insole and insert it into the rebuilt shoe. This is because the sole is not attached to the insole unlike the majority of other shoes.

Grenson understands that trends come and go with fashion and with this in mind, it is possible through their repair service to add a new sole to the shoe.  At some point you might want to bring your shoes up to date with a lightweight Vibram sole (pictured on both the Grenson Spike Duck tan boots above and the Grenson Allen chukka boots below).  Both the Grenson Spike duck boots and the Allen chukka boots are styles that we had over the Winter season and have very limited numbers remaining.

The Spike boots have a premium grain leather upper and feature a lightweight white flex sole unit, giving a uniquely modern and lightweight nature to this classic boot. This style also has a rolled lace set and smooth leather duck toe. This style is unique to the Grenson brand.

The Allen chukka boot on a white flex wedge sole unit is a simple shoe that just seems to work. The split welt gives it that extra touch. An ultra-modern boot that is great with a pair of turn up jeans.

View our full range of Grenson Shoes online