Business continued to expand for the company and in 1880 Daniel Gurteen, third generation invested in a magnificent steam engine to drive the weaving machines at the factory in Suffolk.

Gurteen steam engine

Both the engine and wheel can still be found in pristine condition at the factory and I have been given a personal view of them working, but today this is by the means of electricity! Nevertheless it really does give you a sense of time watching the magnificent machinery in motion.

By 1900 the Gurteen company employed over 2500 people and the business was booming. During WW2 the factory was fully occupied with the manufacture of uniforms and after this period again continued to build a solid reputation for quality, well fitting garments.

The company is now run by the sixth and seventh generation of the family and supplies major high street names as well as small independent stores throughout the UK.

Gurteen Longford cotton stretch trouser

We have been Gurteen stockists since establishing our web store, and especially love the superb range of trousers which combine quality, style and comfort in equal measure.

To View and Buy Gurteen Trousers Online – Click Here

Saxony fabric is a type of wool fabric. The name Saxony is derived from the fact that this type of wool was initially made in Saxony, a town in Germany, from sheep that were specifically raised for wool. The sheep raised in this part of the world were merino sheep. Merino sheep were originally from Spain but were transferred to other parts of the world including Germany and France. In Germany, these Merino sheep came to be known as Saxony Merino.

Nowadays, merino wool  is  obtained from sheep farms in Australia, South America, South Africa and New Zealand due to their ideal climatic conditions. This therefore means that when used, the term ‘Saxony’ does not refer to wool from a particular area but more so wool from the Merino sheep. It is also used to refer to worsted woolen fabric.

Saxony fabric is a fine, very high quality fabric. The fabric is soft to the touch and medium to heavy weight. This is because the Merino sheep are as a matter of course well taken care of. The end result is wool that is very fine, very soft and elastic. The fiber of this fabric has many serrations and is therefore has good felting abilities. This type of wool is very high quality and is therefore the best wool to use in the manufacture of the best high quality tweed jackets.

The Saxony fabric that we have designed and produced for our range of Men’s country tweed jackets has had the quality increased further by twisting two merino yarns together to add extra weight whilst retaining the overall softness of the fabric. This ensures that our Saxony tweed jackets will not just have a luxurious feel, but they will last the test of time and offer warmth and comfort to the wearer. Furthermore the extra twist of multi coloured yarns gives an amazing subtlety to the overall fabric design.

The jackets have been tailored to a very high a standard in a traditional manner, which includes ticket pockets for real country styling.

See our best quality Saxony Country Tweed Jackets for men – click here.

 click here for our full range of Mens Tweed Jackets and Blazers.

Our new ladies tweed Gilet is made in England from our exclusive Saxony fabric

The garments can be bought in this new tweed or alternatively you can purchase in any of our other tweeds with a making time of just 6 weeks. We are sure that for many shoot organisers this will be an ideal outfit for their female staff and can easily be coordinated with the chaps by using a common tweed.We will of course be holding fabric in stock to make all the extra’s like hats, coats and many other requests.

My weight as of 13th January stands at 14 stones and 13lbs. I probably need to shell the best part of 3 stones to have a chance. More importantly I need to learn how to run, how to breathe and also what to wear. A training schedule will be required and if possible some running company. Over the next few months I intend to report on my progress via this blog and hopefully when anyone sees what position I am starting from it may encourage a contribution to my chosen charity (TBA) or even to do an equally silly challenge yourself. If nothing else I hope to keep it entertaining.

At Charles Wall we attempt to go by the ruler as closely as possible but accept that standard sizes will not fit everyone. As such we keep a large stock of trousers with an unfinished bottom in order to hem to inside leg measurements from 36″ downwards. And in order not to discriminate against even longer legs, we keep fabric available to allow us too fulfill all leg lengths and all waist sizes to order. To date our largest waist made was 56″ and the smallest 26″ for a couple of young lads whose father decided they were old enough to enjoy wearing their first Ratcatcher Moleskin trousers.

Over the last 2 years we have seen the volume of special make orders increase substantially which is probably as a result of larger brands refusing to hold the vast stock sizes of years gone by. You can understand what a financial headache this must be but equally how frustrating for anyone outside of the “standard sizes”

British tweed shooting jacket

Of the two new designs, the first is a wide herringbone with a subtle mix of earthy heather shades. In the true tradition of what tweeds were designed for, this fabric will hide itself on many a moor. Our second tweed takes the same overall shade but has an elegant check woven within it.

All four shooting suits will be stocked from 38 to 52 in short regular and long sizes in the form of jackets, waistcoats, shooting vests and breeks. We will be holding fabric to make plus 4′s, field coats, caps, full length trousers and other items. In 2012 we have been able to fit at least 95% of our customers from our stock selection without having to do expensive special measures.

We think our offer is unique in that we have designed it all ourselves, woven it in England from genuine British wool and then sold it on for the garments to go back to the fields that the wool came from! On a commercial note we are offering these very high quality products at a fraction of the cost of made to measure and with an almost immediate delivery!

Our two new suits will be available from April 2013 although we should have samples available to view from December this year.

Safe shooting

Jon Wall

To give the shop the feel of a country show, we have erected our show Marquee which works perfectly to separate the stock room and office from the retail unit. The new shop address is as follows-

Unit 7
Tong Park Industrial Estate,
Otley Rd,
Baildon,
BD17 7QD

Appointments can be made by ringing 01274 585272

As well as all our usual quality products we also have a hugely discounted sale rail where we are selling off discontinued styles and shades. We hope to see you soon.

Best regards,

Jon Wall