Wollaston Heritage
Wollaston:
Birthplace of
Dr. Martens
Many people around the world know Dr. Martens boots. Few realise that one of Britain's most famous footwear brands was born in this Northamptonshire village.
For over a century, boot and shoe manufacturing has been woven into the fabric of Wollaston life. The village's most famous contribution to that industry — and to global fashion — is undoubtedly Dr. Martens, whose iconic boots are now worn in over sixty countries.
The story begins not in Germany, but here — in a factory on Cobbs Lane, in the hands of a Wollaston family who had been making boots since 1901. It is a story of craft, ingenuity, and a small village that quietly changed what the world puts on its feet.
The Griggs family & the Northamptonshire shoe trade
Northamptonshire has been the heart of England's boot and shoe industry for centuries. By the Victorian era, dozens of villages across the county — Wollaston among them — had become centres of footwear production, with whole families employed in the trade.
In 1901, the Griggs family established R. Griggs & Co in Wollaston. The business grew steadily, producing sturdy working boots from the Cobbs Lane factory and providing employment for generations of local families. At its height, the shoe trade touched almost every household in the village.
Wollaston became known for the quality of its workmanship. The skills passed down through families — clicking, closing, lasting, finishing — were the foundation on which something remarkable would eventually be built.
R. Griggs & Co
Established Wollaston, 1901
1460
1 April 1960
The birth of Dr. Martens
In 1945, German army doctor Klaus Märtens injured his ankle while skiing in the Bavarian Alps. Frustrated by the rigidity of standard military boots, he began experimenting with a new kind of sole — air-cushioned, using rubber salvaged from abandoned Luftwaffe airfields.
Märtens sold his design through a Munich newspaper advertisement. By 1959, the patent had caught the attention of R. Griggs & Co in Wollaston. The family licensed the UK manufacturing rights and set about making the design their own.
The Griggs family made several crucial modifications: the now-famous yellow welt stitching, grooved sole edges, the AirWair heel loop, and a refined boot shape better suited to the British market.
On 1 April 1960, the first Dr. Martens boot rolled off the production line at Cobbs Lane. It was given the model number 1460 — taken directly from its launch date.
From work boot to cultural icon
The early customers of the 1460 were not fashion-conscious teenagers. They were postmen, factory workers, police officers and tradespeople — people who needed a boot that could take punishment and keep their feet comfortable through a long shift. The air-cushioned sole was a genuine practical innovation.
Then, in the late 1960s and through the 1970s, something unexpected happened. The boots were adopted by skinheads — a working-class youth subculture that prized toughness and authenticity. From there, Dr. Martens spread into ska, punk, and the alternative music scenes of the 1980s. Pete Townshend of The Who wore them on stage. So did The Clash, Madness, and eventually almost every band that wanted to signal something real.
By the 1990s, Dr. Martens had crossed over entirely into mainstream fashion. Worn by Britpop bands, grunge musicians and fashion designers, the boot that began as a practical solution to a sore ankle had become one of the most recognisable pieces of footwear in the world.
What began in Wollaston had gone global — and the village's name was stitched, invisibly, into every pair.
Originally
Postmen, factory workers, police
Late 1960s
Skinhead subculture
1970s
Ska and punk scenes
1980s
Alternative and rock music
1990s
Britpop, grunge, fashion
Today
Global fashion icon
The Cobbs Lane factory
The Cobbs Lane factory was the beating heart of Dr. Martens production for over four decades. Generations of Wollaston families worked there — clicking leather, stitching uppers, lasting soles — producing the boots that would eventually be sold around the world.
In 2003, the majority of production was moved overseas as the company sought to reduce costs. The factory fell quiet, and with it went a significant part of the village's working life.
But the story did not end there. In 2007, the Cobbs Lane factory reopened to produce the premium "Made in England" range — handcrafted boots for customers who want the genuine article, made in the place where it all began.
Genuine Made in England Dr. Martens are still produced in Wollaston today. The factory on Cobbs Lane is still there. The craft is still alive.
Cobbs Lane, Wollaston, NN29. The factory that produced the first 1460 in 1960 still produces Made in England Dr. Martens today.
Timeline
R. Griggs & Co established
The Griggs family set up their footwear business in Wollaston, joining the thriving boot and shoe manufacturing industry that defined Northamptonshire.
Klaus Märtens develops the air-cushioned sole
German army doctor Klaus Märtens injures his ankle skiing in the Bavarian Alps. Frustrated by standard military boots, he develops a boot with an air-cushioned sole using salvaged rubber from abandoned Luftwaffe airfields.
Griggs acquires UK manufacturing rights
R. Griggs & Co licence the Märtens design for UK production. They anglicise the name to "Dr. Martens", refine the sole, add the now-iconic yellow welt stitching, grooved sole edges and the AirWair heel loop.
The first 1460 boot rolls off the line
The very first Dr. Martens boot — the 1460 — is produced at the Cobbs Lane factory in Wollaston. The model number is taken directly from the launch date: the 1st of April, 1960.
Adopted by youth subcultures
Originally worn by postmen, factory workers and police officers, Dr. Martens are taken up by skinheads, then ska fans, then punks. The working boot becomes a symbol of rebellion.
Production moves overseas
The majority of Dr. Martens production is moved to Asia. The Cobbs Lane factory falls quiet after more than four decades of continuous production.
Cobbs Lane reopens for Made in England
The Cobbs Lane factory reopens to produce the premium "Made in England" range. Genuine Made in England Dr. Martens are still produced in Wollaston to this day.
A global brand with Wollaston roots
Dr. Martens is sold in over 60 countries. Millions of pairs have been worn by musicians, workers, students and fashion lovers worldwide — all tracing their lineage back to a factory on Cobbs Lane, Wollaston.
Did you know?
The 1460 boot is named after its launch date: 1 April 1960.
Dr. Martens boots originated in Wollaston, Northamptonshire — not Germany.
The famous yellow welt stitching was a Griggs family innovation, not part of the original Märtens design.
The original Cobbs Lane factory still produces selected "Made in England" boots today.
Millions of pairs of Dr. Martens have been sold worldwide since 1960.
Klaus Märtens originally sold his design through a Munich newspaper advertisement.
Dr. Martens and Wollaston today
Footwear manufacturing remains part of Wollaston's identity. The Cobbs Lane factory still produces the premium "Made in England" range — handcrafted boots for customers who want the genuine article, made in the place where it all began.
Wollaston is also home to NPS Shoes — makers of the Solovair brand — whose factory has been a workers' co-operative on Thrift Street since 1881. From 1960 until the mid-1990s, NPS manufactured Dr. Martens boots under licence alongside Griggs. When that licence ended, NPS continued independently with Solovair, using the same Goodyear-welt construction and air-cushioned sole. Two factories, one village, still making boots today.
Dr. Martens is now a publicly listed company with revenues in the hundreds of millions. Its boots are sold in over sixty countries. And yet the original 1460 — the boot that started it all — is still in production, still recognisable, still made in Wollaston.
Share your memories
Have you worked at the Dr. Martens factory, or do you have photographs or memories of shoe manufacturing in Wollaston? We'd love to hear from you and help preserve the village's industrial heritage.