Are there still any hand made in UK items left?

17 comments

1. Solovair boots. Basically kept making DMs when DMs moved abroad.

   There’s many high-end items made in the UK, from jet engines to food to designer clothing – but it costs.

2. Try etsy?

3. There are loads of small companies making things in the UK, they tend to be pricey and people are always in a race to the bottom in terms of cost add that to a lack of sense, and a Verruca Salt attitude to life and you get mass produced Chinese tat.

4. Altberg boots. Top quality MOD spec boots

5. There are quite a few independent fashion houses that hand make clothes, but each item tends to be in the very high hundreds or 4 figures.

6. Safety Harnesses for height safety

7. Winsor and Newton series 7 Sable watercolour brushes are still handmade in England (according to their website). There was a clip on youtube how they are made. It goes up to £400+, for a paint brush! Even a size 3 is £32, I normally buy own-brand sable brush for about £5, which is already excellent.

   One day I’ll buy this brush.

8. Henry vacuum cleaners. Sofas. Beds.

   For fashion or clothing you’re going to be looking at high-end as labour costs are high compared to asian sweat shops.

9. Cricket bats

10. Private White VC, Hebtroco, Lanx.

11. Brooks bicycle saddles are still made in the West Midlands (but got bought by an Italian company the other year). They are still the nicest thing I’ve ever put my bum on.

    Also Carradice bike bags and panniers, made in Nelson, Lancashire.

12. Some Barbour products are still made in South Shields. For anyone thats interested you can see for yourself on iPlayer

    [https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m0015pmg/we-are-england-made-in-england-our-northern-jacket-empire](https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m0015pmg/we-are-england-made-in-england-our-northern-jacket-empire)

13. Leonardo helicopters down in yeovil are handmade, mostly in the UK (think the gear boxes and engines might be Italian)

14. Handmade footwear certainly exists. It’s not very cheap. There’s still the traditional welted-construction Northamptonshire shoe industry etc.

15. Lots of UK makers on Etsy. 🙂

16. Plenty of bicycle companies still manufacturing in the UK. Off the top of my head: Orange mountain bikes, Pace cycles, Brompton folding bikes, Pashley folding bikes, Hope components.

17. Barker make very fine shoes, pricey but the best quality