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Our Story

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1900

1956

2015

2018

2019

  • The business of J & E Sedgwick & Co. Ltd was founded in 1900 by James and Emmanuel Sedgwick. They were later joined by Richard Farrow, grandfather of the recently retired Managing Director who is also named Richard Farrow. Richard is now a non-executive Director of The Clayton Leather Group.

    Sedgwick’s began supplying leather to the equestrian trade in 1900, and a century on is one of the leading leather suppliers of equestrian leather in Walsall.

  • Over the past 100 years J & E Sedgwick’s business has grown steadily, this being evident that in 1956 the company moved into the purpose-built workshops it still maintains, undergoing three major building programs up to the present day.

    The company bases its early success on the established UK market, but in recent years has expanded into the growing export market, supplying its products worldwide.

    Sedgwick’s has always prided itself on the consistently high quality of its finished leather. Partly, this has been achieved by the sourcing of high-quality hides, but also in maintaining the skills of expert curriers who finish the leather by hand. Many of these skills utilized at the beginning of the century are still employed today. Hence the management taking the view that these skills, when used correctly, produce the finest leather.

    To maintain these skills, all of Sedgwick’s craftsmen are highly trained and the company maintains an active recruitment and training program for new young apprentices.

    The skills of the curriers are complimented by the addition of modern machines. These machines cannot replace the sheer artistry and experience of our leather dressers, but have enabled Sedgwick’s to improve and increase the range, quality and colours of the finished leathers.

    The quintessential attributes of Sedgwick’s leather are:
    Visual Appeal
    Endurance
    Resilience
    Fundamental characteristics of true quality

  • Along with William Clarke, Sedgwick & Co joined The Clayton Leather Group as the best in British bridle leather in 2015. The aspirations of the group allowed Sedgwick to continue its expansion into international markets, to continue developing a working relationship with distributors worldwide. Sedgwick first represented its leather in foreign markets using its strong brand name and reputation.

    English leather enjoys a reputation of being the finest in the world and we are delighted that J & E Sedgwick entered its second century of existence, well prepared to play a significant international role in the supply of fine English leather.

  • In 2018, three family business across Europe came together to save Sedgwick & Co from going into Administration. Abbey England, renowned provider of saddlery and associated goods to the equestrian market, Kilger, a German tannery which has supplied Sedgwick with leather for 20 years, and Crawford Leather Company, a UK and Irish hide and skin processing company with long tradition of delivering bespoke, high quality, heavy leathers into the vegetable tanning trade make up the consortium. On the 4th October, the three companies together invested £1.5m to save the business and protected 60 per cent of the company’s jobs.

  • In March 2019, the company secured a grant from the Local Enterprise Partnership to support the purchase of Sedgwick’s home. The £400k investment allowed the company to keep its production facility in Walsall and the preservation of 19 jobs. The grant was a poignant milestone for the company who now look forward to focusing their efforts on producing the best hand-finished leather in the UK today.