The Beautiful Grain: Cheaney's new Veldtschoen

Sometimes I worry I'm the only person mildly obsessed with Veldtschoen boots, but after a trip to Jermyn Street today, I didn't feel quite so lonely.

I've visited Joseph Cheaney's factory before, and while I thought their shoes were very nicely made for the price, I found their looks slightly bland and salary-man, with overdone antiquing; their Pennine Veldtschoen boots also looked slightly too pretty, with what was (to me) a slightly too red and fake-looking country grain. Yet when I visited the company's brand new store on Jermyn Street, I was faced with a Veldstchoen revelation: with a couple of design tweaks, new leathers, and the lovely new design of boot, The Fiennes, these are some of the nicest Veldstchoen boots around. Cheaney's main rival for Veldstchoen is probably Alfred Sargent, which are now getting hard to find. Even if that weren't the case, with these new tweaks I find the current Cheaney range are just as attractive. I'd say they're also more nicely constructed than Tricker's, who seem to be resting on their laurels. When I dropped into Tricker's today, they seemed casual and uninterested in their own product; the Cheaney staff at the new showroom were younger, and distinctly more knowledgeable and enthusiastic.

The Fiennes is a typical veldtschoen, with that distinctive moustache design on the side; I didn't check, but I think the commando soles are Itshide, at any rate they're British-made. The boots are padded at the top, like some of the Crocket and Jones veldt designs, and the new country grain, which comes from a new supplier in Italy, looks terrific. The overall shape is lovely; slightly sleeker than some, without a false teocap, but rugged and purposeful - sorry for the poor photos, as I only had my phone with me, the leather and the actual shape looks even more attractive in person than on these photos.

The Cairngorm, Cheaney's long-established Veldtschoen shoe, looks even better in the new leather; the bumpier finish looks a little more rugged and suits the shape much better. The same applies to the Pennine, the company's standard Veldt boot, which I've featured here before. 

Price on the Fiennes is £345 - very reasonable for the quality, as these boots will last you a lifetime; I'll update with other prices soon. I've also accumulated quite a few more Veldstchoen photos since my last post on the subject, so I promise I'll do a photodump in the next few days.

Veldtschoen Variations

I mentioned I'd do a roundup of Veldtschoen boots available today. Here's a quick and dirty summary, which I'll update as I find more information.


Alfred Sargent Selkirk and Kelso

The boots that came in from the cold: Alfred Sargent Kelso, fresh from a tramp through the Medway snow.

These were the classic recent Veldtschoens - note the distinctive 'moustache' shape of the vamp, which doesn't extend to the sole. The Selkirk is the leather sole version. These were discontinued last year, but larger sizes are still available from Tredders and others, and have recently shot up in price to around £200-£250. A pair of Kelso are my Go-to boots, completely waterproof in the recent snow. I have heard there are plans to resuscitate this model: I'll update if and when this happens.

Cheaney Pennine



Again a true Veldtschoen. These cost £270 from RObinson Shoes. This Commando sole is common for military use, and is called the Itshide; sadly, Itshide have ceased production, although Corinium still produce a UK Commando equivalent. These are fine boots, although that's a Country Grain, not a Zug Grain, and most shops that previously sold Sargent seem to have switched.

Shipton & Henneage Pennine


Are these the same boots as the Cheaney? Look it. They don't state they're Veldtschoen, although my guess is that they are. Shipton And Henneage are an old brand, they've never made their own boots as far as I know, but I've seen S&H Veldtschoen from the 1950s. Not sure who makes these, but I've read that Sargent used to supply - but proved too unreliable. They cost £249 from Shipton & Henneage. Note that, like the Cheaneys, these have a different construction to the Selkirk, and the vamp reaches the sole, more like a normal boot. If you like the look of these, subscribe to the S&H mailing list, they regularly have 15% off sales.

Herring Windermere


Again, a true Veldtschoen. Around £250 retail. Made by Joseph Cheaney. Like the Cheaney, these are country grain I believe, not zug - a little smoother. Website is here.

Hoggs Rannoch



Veldtschoen, Commando sole. I like the speed hooks, too; I believe the earlier version, without the speed hooks, is made by Alfred Sargent, while off-the-record reports indicate that this version is made by Cheaney. These seem to come in at the old Sargents price, under £200, from various retailers including SD Workwear; although they're reportedly not as nicely-made as the Sargent, that's a good price.

T Jackson


This comes from a retailer which is active on eBay. Made by Sanders, around £160. Link. Conventional storm welt, not a veldtschoen. They claim these use the same zug grain leathers as the Trickers, presumably from Horween. Note these have a different shape from both the Sargent and the Cheaney/S&H/Windermere.

Crockett & Jones Snowdon

Veldtschoen construction, but conventional waxed hide uppers. Again, you can see the military-influenced shape of the vamp, which has that 'moustache' shape like the Selkirks but sits higher on the boot. Lovely boots, which retail at around £385 from retailers like Pediwear


Trickers Lyndhurst
Lastly (yes), the Trickers.
Tricker's have produced classic Veldtschoen in the past - there is a lovely pair in a showcase in their factory shops - see in the comments below for more information; it appears that in the past the Skipton was their Veldtschoen Zug boot, although they've also produced other variants for retailers. The Lyndhurst has much the same shape as the Grasmere, but it appears to be a Veldtschoen construction (the Grasmere has a conventional storm welt) with a full length bellows tongue. It appears similar to the Skipton, but for the latter's false toecap. The range is now discontinued - which makes the stock at Pediwear all the more attractive, at £285, with the old Tricker's quality. They appear to have Size 8 in stock - grab 'em while you can, and remove the temptation, please.

This is an older Tricker's model, with some of the familiar look; at first I was told they were available Special Order, but it now appears they're too busy with standard construction to mess around with Veldtschoen. Grrr.



The Bureau Grasmere Special

Not a Veldtschoen, but a beautiful zug boot. Like many of the Bureau specials, these are pretty keenly priced at £320. The Bureau