I’ve never been to Bolton, but I will be going soon. Why? Well, to visit the Walsh factory of course.
I’m keen to experience first-hand the craftsmanship that goes into the only British-manufactured trainer currently in production. With our radio waves and TV screens bombarded with chatter and debate about Thatcherised British Industry, I may, as an ignorant London creative blah blah blah, get a much-needed dose of Northern soul as well as the opportunity to salute a British factory that is still alive and very much kicking. There’s no need to picture a New Yorker-esque cartoon of me entering a factory with a handbag. I’m down with getting cosy with machinery – it’s just that the ony chance I get to do so is with my best friend slash laptop.
My journey to Bolton will go metaphorically via Northampton. Northampton Museum and Art Gallery, which I am a big supporter of, is currently displaying a concise history of Walsh footwear. The exhibition features a selection of the brand’s most important performance sports shoes, ranging from an indoor tug of war shoe and a fell running shoe. But most specifically it reveals and celebrates the history of a great shoemaker. Norman Walsh had skills. In 1945, J W Foster (the Granddaddy of Reebok) took on a young Norman and three years into his apprenticeship he was asked to make some of the running spikes for the 1948 Olympics.
A slice of British History that should be recalled, remembered and relished.
Norman Walsh founded his own company in 1961. In the 60s Walsh track spikes and off-road running shoes were growing in popularity. By the 70s English cricket captain Tony Greig was collecting wickets in Walsh cricket boots whilst the Walsh rugby boots were dominating rugby pitch scrums. The range of performance shoes made under Norman’s Walsh’s watch was remarkable. Most were made for high endurance sports and therefore he built them to last. The most interesting, in terms of its sport and its (destined) owner, are a pair of 1970s wresting boots belonging to Martin Ruane AKA Giant Haystacks. Weighing in at over 600lbs (nearly six of me) he was a larger than life sportsman and character. Haystacks never collected the boots that Walsh made for him so they stand tall in the Northampton Museum display. Uworn, they are able to retain a mythical aura.
Trainers are very much integrated into our everyday lives: we don’t always separate their function with their more stylistic roles. Although Walsh shoes make a fashion statement, perfectly complimenting an entire outfit. As relayed to me by the passionate Tim Walker, who helped execute the exhibition – the varying technical details that make up each shoe, also tell the story of sport. Grips, materials, soles and supports reflect how the sportsman is going to run, tackle, dip, jump and slide – a real testament to Norman Walsh’s ability to connect the human body, with technology, in order to make it more powerful.
It’s difficult to describe what this great tale of British heritage represents; it is arguably two-fold. Being British, it may remind me of my homeland’s past, offering a comforting nostalgic image of what it means to dress, play, and therefore be, British. For those that don’t have a geographical, biological, or any other connection to Britain, it may mean something totally different. Why would a Japanese Walsh fan queue for this quintessentially English performance shoe? Whatever the connotations are, for both of the very internationally determined relationships, it proves that this shoe has definitely got soul.
www.northampton.gov.uk
www.deludedmonkey.com
www.walshcasual.com
The exhibition combines the Walsh archive with the Northampton museum’s unique relationship with footwear industry. Further contributions and advice provided by UK based sneaker expert Deluded Monkey.
Exhibition runs: April 16th – May 30th 2013
Tory Turk for FAD
