Descriptive inter-titles introduce the firm of Manfield and Sons Limited whose history dates back to 1844 and the location of Northampton within the UK. We see a man examining finished shoes followed by a designer with a last and a worker cutting master patterns. We then see leather being cut by workers on the shop floor. The uppers are stitched together and there are examples of both machine and hand sewn welts. We then see the shoe heels being attached and shaped followed by the final inspection and boxing of the finished shoes.
A Manfield Film Unit Production
Manfield and Sons Limited were a successful shoe making firm; in 1944 they employed over 2,500 people and by 1950 they were producing 27,000 shoes per week. In 1956 Manfields was acquired by Charles Clore and controlled by J Sears and Co. In 1990 it was integrated with Saxone, a Sears subsidiary, and in 1995 sold to Fascia. Manfield shoe shops still exist in Holland and France and in the UK Manfield shoes are sold but the brand is owned by the Jacobson Group.