Anyone heard of George Webb shoes?

[Colm]

Hey.

That brings me back. Many's the pair of George Webbs I wore. The thing about George Webbs is that the were a good wide shoe. When often one with a wide foot would need to buy a size nine or even ten so as to get a wide enough fit, but you could wear a size eight in a George Webb. Very comfortable and strong.

And you often heard reference to how someone would say he would deal with a villian.

He'd say, "He'd need the end of a good size nine".

Well the phrase would often be reference to a kick of a good size nine George Webb.

Often the man who wore George Webbs also had a couple of pairs of what were called cattle mens boots.

Good luck all, C
P.s. This conversation is stretched over quite a few years now.

 

[Lafcadio]

Well, this thread may be old but I read your interesting reply.
Where are you from ?
I am now back living in Northamptonshire, but rarely visit Walgrave, although I still have a cousin there.

Have not recently seen any George Webb Barkers, but the John White name is certainly used by somebody.

I visit C&J and Trickers factory shops, plus Cheaney in Desborough, Church and for fun, John Lobb - where subs prices are astronomical : £480 for double monks.
Their factory shop is now like Fort Knox - down the street, out of the factory building, and very secure entry phone and iron gates !C&J better value.
None are now cheap but so much better value than Jermyn Street, e.g £150 for C&J double monks instead of £400. I bought some. They are so beautiful I scarcely dare wear them.

The man at Trickers once corrected a customer saying Trickers were not cobblers, they were Shoemakers - quite correct !

Best foot forward.....................

 

[scrwl]

Sorry to bring this ancient thread back up again.
As many of you seem to have worn George Webbs before the company went bust, could someone help me to find out the age of these Veldtschoens I bought earlier this year? They're quite similar to these which were marketed as being from the 1940's. The markings on the side of the shoe are in a different order but the "667" style is the same and that "6-89" marking is the same. The "welted Veldtschoën by George Webb" stamp is identical. I don't think these are as old as the ebay auction above as these have seen some use.
The shoes definitely feel as well made and sturdy as the shoes of decades past described by some of you. They feel a lot more rugged than my Red Wings or other "heritage work boots" I've handled.
Were any George Webbs made with "zug" / "heather gorse" leather? The pebbled grainy leather of these is a lot thicker and hardier than the country calf on my Cheaney Pennines or the leather on my vintage Frank Wright silver stud veldtschoens.
Any info appreciated!

pics:

 

[guybagnall]

Hi - Those George Webb have a fabulous patina - did they come like that or did you make it?

 

[scrwl]

I agree the patina is (or sadly was) gorgeous! They were like that when i got them. I have no actual idea what those darker blotches might be. Those parts don't absorb conditioner as well as the rest of the shoe which led the patina become a bit less visible after some much needed conditioning.

 

[guybagnall]

I have a similar problem with a pair of Trickers' Otleys, their last Veldtschoen shoe. Patina is frighteningly easy to destroy and impossible to recover, try as one might. The back of the Otleys are nice in that way, but whether I can get the fronts to work I don't yet know - I will try various products to see if it's possible. I haven't seen pictures of the George Webb Veldtschoens before and now will keep a look out for a pair in my difficult size 11 G or 6. I assume you found them somewhere in England?

 

[scrwl]

That outdoors pic is after generous use of Saphir Renovateur. Usually does a great job but wanted to use some more effective stuff as the leather still felt a bit too stiff.
I scored the shoes from eBay UK. I think there were at least 3 pairs for sale in 2015. The sizes were from 7 to 8.5UK though.

 

[guybagnall]

Do you use neutral renovateur or a coloured one?

 

[scrwl]

Neutral! This is the stuff i have

 

[guybagnall]

This is quite a gap in the thread but I found a pair of NoS George Webb in 11, and they are now my absolute favourite shoes, although at 2kgm they are not light. Meanwhile I found two pairs of NoS Lotus Veldts and very recently a pair of Frank Wright Silver Stud. They are only size 10 and I am away so won't see them for three weeks, but if the Webbs are a tight fit at 11, the Frank Wrights won't fit me in a 10 - in which case I will have to sell them - or try to find someone to swap with! I've also been doing a little research on Zug, and the George Webb and Lotus are just so much tougher than any of the 'Scotch grain' made today. You could easily pay over £1000 for top Veldtschoens, British and hand made, but the quality of the George Webb are way out ahead. If you think no one could get leather that good, then a pair of NoS George Webbs are a real prize. If I find ore about Zug (Martin's of Glasgow and Bridge of Weir), I'll post some more...