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From the home of the most successful fell running shoe of all time, Solefood Bolton are pleased to be the first store worldwide to stock both the handmade in England Fell Running shoes & also the handmade in England Lostock fashion sneaker. Both these ranges are made in the factory here in Bolton are one of the last remaining two sneaker manufacturers to still make product in England, the other being New Balance. Remember to check below the product descriptions for a history of the brand !!!
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Norman Walsh made in England Lostock blue grey
Norman Walsh made in England Lostock blue grey
Our Price: £85.00

Norman Walsh made in England Lostock blue grey - Now Instock, the first store to get them Norman Walsh Made In England, they have finally landed and we can only thank the guys in London and Jonathan & Dennis at the Bolton factory. These shoes are simply stunning and when you see them in the flesh, you can see the craftmanship that goes into a handmade product. Why buy a “limited” edition shoe from one of the big manufacturers when you can own something that has taken about an hour and a half to make, for the same money. Taking their extensive knowledge from making specialized running shoes, these Walsh trainers are hopefully the first in a long line of Made In England shoes from the factory.
Norman Walsh Made In England Lostock Green Yellow Grey
Norman Walsh Made In England Lostock Green Yellow Grey
Our Price: £85.00

Norman Walsh made in England Lostock - Now Instock, the first store to get them Norman Walsh Made In England, they have finally landed and we can only thank the guys in London and Jonathan & Dennis at the Bolton factory. These shoes are simply stunning and when you see them in the flesh, you can see the craftmanship that goes into a handmade product. Why buy a “limited” edition shoe from one of the big manufacturers when you can own something that has taken about an hour and a half to make, for the same money. Taking their extensive knowledge from making specialized running shoes, these Walsh trainers are hopefully the first in a long line of Made In England shoes from the factory.
Norman Walsh Made In England Lostock White Navy Red
Norman Walsh Made In England Lostock White Navy Red
Our Price: £85.00

Norman Walsh Made In England Lostock White Navy Red - Norman Walsh made in England Lostock - Now Instock, the first store to get them Norman Walsh Made In England, they have finally landed and we can only thank the guys in London and Jonathan & Dennis at the Bolton factory. These shoes are simply stunning and when you see them in the flesh, you can see the craftmanship that goes into a handmade product. Why buy a “limited” edition shoe from one of the big manufacturers when you can own something that has taken about an hour and a half to make, for the same money. Taking their extensive knowledge from making specialized running shoes, these Walsh trainers are hopefully the first in a long line of Made In England shoes from the factory.
Norman Walsh Made In England Lostock Grey White Red Norman Walsh made in England Lostock - Now Instock, the first store to get them Norman Walsh Made In England, they have finally landed and we can only thank the guys in London and Jonathan & Dennis
Norman Walsh Made In England Lostock Grey White Red
Our Price: £85.00

Norman Walsh Made In England Lostock Grey White Red Norman Walsh made in England Lostock - Now Instock, the first store to get them Norman Walsh Made In England, they have finally landed and we can only thank the guys in London and Jonathan & Dennis at the Bolton factory. These shoes are simply stunning and when you see them in the flesh, you can see the craftmanship that goes into a handmade product. Why buy a “limited” edition shoe from one of the big manufacturers when you can own something that has taken about an hour and a half to make, for the same money. Taking their extensive knowledge from making specialized running shoes, these Walsh trainers are hopefully the first in a long line of Made In England shoes from the factory.
Norman Walsh Made In England Lostock Orange Black
Norman Walsh Made In England Lostock Orange Black
Our Price: £85.00

Norman Walsh Made In England Lostock Orange Black Norman Walsh made in England Lostock - Now Instock, the first store to get them Norman Walsh Made In England, they have finally landed and we can only thank the guys in London and Jonathan & Dennis at the Bolton factory. These shoes are simply stunning and when you see them in the flesh, you can see the craftmanship that goes into a handmade product. Why buy a “limited” edition shoe from one of the big manufacturers when you can own something that has taken about an hour and a half to make, for the same money. Taking their extensive knowledge from making specialized running shoes, these Walsh trainers are hopefully the first in a long line of Made In England shoes from the factory.
Norman Walsh Made In England Lostock Royal Blue Red Norman Walsh made in England Lostock - Now Instock, the first store to get them Norman Walsh Made In England, they have finally landed and we can only thank the guys in London and Jonathan & Dennis
Norman Walsh Made In England Lostock Royal Blue Red
Our Price: £85.00

Norman Walsh Made In England Lostock Royal Blue Red Norman Walsh made in England Lostock - Now Instock, the first store to get them Norman Walsh Made In England, they have finally landed and we can only thank the guys in London and Jonathan & Dennis at the Bolton factory. These shoes are simply stunning and when you see them in the flesh, you can see the craftmanship that goes into a handmade product. Why buy a “limited” edition shoe from one of the big manufacturers when you can own something that has taken about an hour and a half to make, for the same money. Taking their extensive knowledge from making specialized running shoes, these Walsh trainers are hopefully the first in a long line of Made In England shoes from the factory.
NORMAN WALSH SPIRIT PEAK TRAIL RUNNING SHOE
NORMAN WALSH SPIRIT PEAK TRAIL RUNNING SHOE
Our Price: £59.99

The new Walsh Spirit Peak is a lightweight trail running shoe offering high levels of comfort and performance over longer distance, incorporating the all new Walsh Pyra-grip sole unit.

Breathable
Comfortable
Motion Control
   
 

In a small town in Northern England, many years ago, the Walsh running shoe was born and slowly evolved into one of the great legendary running shoes of the world!

This unique shoe is synonymous with the local sport of fell running and fell racing. (The word ‘fell’ means hill).

Norman Walsh’s handiwork is known by competitive trail and mountain runners worldwide. After all, he’s probably the closest thing there is to being the father of specialized trail running shoes.

Norman was born in Bolton, Lancashire, in 1931. He started work for Foster Brothers Shoes in his hometown in 1945. While working as an apprentice shoemaker, he was asked to make sprinting shoes for the 1948 Olympic Games in London. During the late 1950’s, Norman worked closely with the Foster Brothers’ grandsons, Jeff and Joe. These two branched away from the family business and formed Reebok (but that’s another story!). Norman also went his own way.

In 1961, he formed his own company, Norman Walsh Footwear . He became known for excellent, hand sewn, quality rugby boots-Rugby high and Rugby low. He produced about 30 pair a week, which sold rapidly. “None were made for the shelf”, recalls Norman, “I was working 80 hours a week”. He continued in high quality leather manufacturing until the early 1970’s.

At that time, he teamed up with legendary Lake District fell runner Pete Bland. Over the next five years, they designed and developed their own version of a fell running shoe. One of their early designs had soft black leather uppers and a light chocolate brown wavy- patterned sole. It became the approach shoe for many British rock climbers. Its designed purpose was as an “all round training shoe”. In those days there were very few, if any, shoes bearing that label (description). “I remember doing a custom made size 14 UK trainer. Now that’s big. We simply used a wooden extension onto our largest shoe last” said Norman.

The shoe that took the British fell-running sport to new heights was the ‘Walsh Trainer’. Its color was, and still is, blue with yellow flashes. It had all the requirements for becoming a classic running shoe: no bulk, a great lacing system that gave a tight fit at the toe crease, a thin sole for minimum shock absorption, good heel cushioning for navigating those descents, and made from a quick-drying fabric. These were all the factors that contributed to winning races. Norman added a little rubber cushioning to the front area in the mid-1980’s and this design became known the P.B. Trainer, which is the most popular fell-running shoe of all time.

Enter the Crompton brothers. Dennis and Jon, both keen amateur running and soccer enthusiasts, soon discovered the shoe. “We liked the shoe so much,” said Dennis, “that we offered to buy the company from Norman.” Ten years after their initial offer in 1986, Norman, who was ready to retire and move to a sunnier climate, finally said yes. The Cromptons, with 15 years of sales experience, expanded the business into a very successful enterprise. Within a few years they had taken the Walsh running shoe to new heights even they did not expect. New machines, extra staff, expanded storage facilities.

“Our philosophy is simple,” says Jon. “If we don’t like it, or it’s not fun, then we don’t do it.” They kept up Norman’s tradition for quality, while streamlining production. This has increased output from 120 pair to nearly 350 pair per week.