100% Made In England  

The Newman & Regent brand takes is name and heritage from the Northamptonshire factories which it has occupied; so we thought we would tell you a bit about them. 

Our Newman Street factory

The Newman & Regent factory is one of the earliest large boot and shoe factories in Kettering, Northamptonshire. The factory has a long history of producing quality footwear, from its original occupant Newman & Sons in 1873, to George Essain and Co in 1929 and Bignell Ltd in 1937, Ken Hall Ltd and Newman & Regent have continued the proud history of Northamptonshire footwear manufacturers since acquiring the building in the 1990’s.

Our well-detailed factory was one of the earliest large boot and shoe factories in Kettering, influenced by Italianate architecture to create one of the most stylish factories in the town, no doubt recalling the splendid Manfield factory in Northampton of 1857 (demolished 1982). Our factory is one of the earliest boot and shoe factories to survive still producing footwear and thus retaining the traditional interior.

As the current custodians of the factory, we are extremely proud to be continuing to supply our customers with the highest quality modern shoes. From the factory’s creation there have been many advancements in how we manufacture footwear. 

The Regent Street factory 

Our previous shoe factory based on Regent street in Kettering was also a Grade II listed Boot and shoe factory,  dating back to 1890. The factory was created for Hales and Jowitt, who were also boot and shoe manufacturers.

The building supports red brick with blue brick plinth and stone and blue brick dressings.

This finely-detailed factory is little altered and the carefully detailed and homogeneous front shows it to be a factory, but the design also fits into the terraces of houses either side and opposite. This combination of factories and housing adjacent to each other is a particular characteristic of the boot and shoe industry in England.