Church's

The Church family engaged in shoemaking in Northampton as early as 1617. Thomas Church, his wife Eliza, and their sons Alfred and William established Church's Shoes and opened their first factory in 1873 at 30 Maple Street in Northampton.

Church's introduced the "Adaptable" model in 1881. This model featured right and left shoes, different widths, and half sizes. The product received a Gold Medal at the Great Exhibition in that same year. By 1907, the company expanded its buyer base to North America.

The first Church's retail location in London opened in 1921, with a subsequent New York store launching in 1929. Church's inaugurated a new factory at St. James Road, Northampton, in 1957, which still serves as the company's headquarters.

Prada Holding N.V. acquired Church's in 1999.

Church's main manufacturing site stands in the St. James area of Northampton. The facility's estimated output is 5,000 pairs of shoes per week. Approximately 70% of this output is exported.

Church's uses the Goodyear welt construction method for its shoes. Production involves about 250 manual steps and takes up to eight weeks to complete.

Church's produces several footwear styles with names such as Shannon, Burwood, Chetwynd, Pembrey, and Westbury. The company operates a refurbishment service for Goodyear welted footwear at its Northampton factory.