The Longest Established Shoemaker In England
The year was 1829 when Joseph Tricker founded his eponymous company. It was that same year saw Abraham Lincoln gave his first political speech; Louis Braille invented his system of finger-reading for the blind and Queen Victoria’s ascent to the throne was still eight years away. Tricker saw the birth of the modern world, a time for great enlightenment, learning and social reforms. This was the world in which the first retail orders for Tricker’s shoes were secured.
Tricker’s had a reputation for outstanding manufacturing quality and durability when Joseph’s son-in-law, Walter James Barltrop, designed and created the world’s first country boot in 1840 which heralded a brand-new age for country footwear. Tricker’s quickly become the maker of choice for heavy country boots and shoes to farm, estate owners and the landed gentry; who all enjoyed the comfort, strength, durability and practicality of Tricker’s waterproof country footwear. Ever since, the Bourton brogue and Stow boot remain the cornerstone of the Tricker’s business.
To this day Tricker's country shoes and boots are built to the same exacting standards that first established their reputation. All of the footwear is made entirely from start to finish in their Northampton shoe factory. A single shoe goes through over 260 individual processes and take eight to ten weeks to manufacture.
The uncompromising standards of craftsmanship and use of honest materials, are values that have been preserved and developed through these five generations and are observed as resolutely today as they were in 1829.
Few people are aware Tricker's first London store opened in 1925 at number 87 Jermyn Street, before moving in 1937 to its present location at number 67 Jermyn Street. The shop-fit was put in when they opened in 1937, made from oak from Northamptonshire. The interior still boasts the original wooden shoe cabinets, which bear scratch marks caused by shattered glass when bombs fell on London during WWII.
As a celebration of our 190th anniversary in 2019, a new store was opened in Tokyo, Japan. It is situated in the Aoyama district and modelled on the Jermyn Street Flagship store. Tricker’s commissioned a new sign from a British specialist for the Tokyo store, sourcing furniture and lighting from English antique shops. The rest of the store was built in Japan.
Tricker’s is now a globally recognised brand with Japan equating to thirty per cent of the export business and the customers can now buy Tricker’s footwear in over 43 countries around the world.
Granted a Royal Warrant to HRH The Prince of Wales in 1989, this honour sealed our reputation for English-made footwear. In January 2019, Prince Charles visited the factory and unveiled a 190th anniversary plaque, and said during his visit, “Many congratulations everybody on reaching your 190th birthday. Sorry it has taken me 190 years to get here! Marvellous to see such a highly skilled operation. I do congratulate you and I hope you manage to keep it all going for many, many more years.”