Having found your way to this website, it's probably safe to say that you're aware of Northampton Town's affinity with the boot and shoemaking trade as well as the history and heritage associated with the wider county of Northamptonshire. As a family run company that is now in its fifth generation of Woodford family ownership, the Woodford family also understood the importance of Northampton when it came to footwear production. The family business was formed in 1908 by Earnest Woodford in London but later moved to spiritual home of shoemaking Northampton where it resides to this day.
The reasoning and direction of this move was significant. As lifelong champions of made in England product, the Woodford's decision to move just under 70 miles up the road to Northampton allowed them to align their business and working futures with other footwear companies already in the region. To give some real perspective on how many of these companies are still based in Northamptonshire and still continue with all or some production in England then think... Tricker's, Crockett & Jones, Edward Green, Church's, John Lobb, Gaziano & Girling, Grenson, Barker, Sanders & Sanders, George Cox, Dr Martens, Solovair, Loake, Foster & Son, Alfred Sargent, Jeffery West and several other smaller independent and bespoke makers. There are also many other big brands that use the unparalleled industrial expertise found here in Northampton for footwear production.
Crown is very proud to be part of this local group of well established brands and can count itself part of an even more exclusive group of shoemakers that only make their product in England, with no outsourcing of design or labour overseas. This is something that Crown takes very seriously and has vowed to never outsource any elements of production to factories abroad. To further cement this commitment to home-grown production, Crown worked closely with the local council in order to gain the right to use the 'Rose Of Northamptonshire'. This was subtly added to our own branding and can be seen at the central top location of our logo. Further to this, Crown was one of only a few privileged brands allowed to use the Town's crest that carries the motto - "Peace Is Stronger Than A Fortress". This dates back to ad 1617 and the coat of arms features two British Lions guarding the towns former famous castle that was built in ad 1100.
Using the name 'Crown' itself is also something that cannot be taken for granted. Due to the royal roots of the word and the power it still commands in England today, it was necessary to contact the official offices at Buckingham Palace to gain the relevant clearance and rights for us to include it as part of our overall brand. To be able to use the words 'Crown' and 'Northampton' with all of the relevant legal permissions alongside our town and county's coat of arms and rose is a huge honour. It ensures that as a company we will always be firmly and fully committed to producing all Crown Northampton footwear in England, to the highest possible standards that have been set before us and still remain today.
