Cheaney - On the Street Where you Live

Cheaney in Covent Garden

Cheaney open their fifth shop in London and Northampton shoe-making goes from strength-to-strength. Thanks to people like you recognising quality craftsmanship, you will now see a Joseph Cheaney & Sons in Henrietta Street, Covent Garden. The Made in England label has clout.

Speaking of Covent Garden, I watched the 50th anniversary restoration of My Fair Lady [Amazon] last night. What an absolute delight on every level. Intelligent, witty and such great songs. By George, they got it! I've mentioned the mediocrity of La La Land, but when you take in the visual majesty of the restored My Fair Lady — originally filmed in glorious (and rare) Super Panavision 70 — the contrast is utterly stark.

Back to Cheaney: The contemporary interior of their new shop presents the shoes amongst representations of the tools and materials used in their manufacture. Come, let's take a virtual tour:

New Arrivals

Hard to walk out that place without a shoe box under your arms. And if you head down to Cheaney's of Covent Garden now, you'll see the rather jolly Cheaney Brixworth has arrived.

The Goodyear welted Brixworth is a brown calf boot with suede ankle. The style has other colours and combinations, but this has the most contrast between leather and suede colours, which I think you prefer.

With the timeless styling of the Brixworth, they wouldn't look out of place in the Edwardian London of dear Henry 'Iggins. And I think the latter Eliza Doolittle would approve of their refined qualities.

We have to be so very glad that these styles are still in production and made available to us — and the atrocious Nike Inc et al couldn't quite kill off the British shoe industry by swamping our isles with its appalling neon clodhoppers.