Goliath Footwear was founded in 1880 by the Co-operative Wholesale Society under the name of the Heckmondwike Boot and Shoe Works. The factory was based in Heckmondwike in West Yorkshire and was the second Co-operative Wholesale Society shoe factory to be founded, after the Leicester factory on Duns Lane. The Heckmondwike Boot and Shoe Works was designed to manufacture hard wearing work boots. Initially the premises were rented on Beck Lane, but in 1884 the factory moved to the purchased Brunswick Mill. The mill had been built in 1871 and had previously occupied William and Arthur Cardwell & Co, stuff manufacturers and card teeth and card makers. The factory was extended in 1887 when the Co-operative Wholesale Society decided to begin leather currying on the premises. Additional extensions were made in 1892, 1894, and 1896. The works usually employed between 3 and 4 hundred persons and on average produced between 6 and 8 thousand pairs of boots per week.
Goliath, famously made lightweight football boots for Sir Stanley Matthews who played football for Blackpool, Stoke City, and England. Sir Stanley Matthews made several visits to the factory and put his name to a brand of boots. Goliath were also a major supplier to British Industry with clients such as British Aerospace, The Ministry of Defence, Rolls Royce, and the Coal Board. Goliath were also the first to develop the chainsaw boot which was designed to resist the cut of a chain saw.
In 2003 the Co-operative Wholesale Society sold Goliath Footwear. However, the company still continues to operate as one of the United Kingdom's leading suppliers of safety and occupational footwear.
Reference: Co-operative Wholesale Society Production in West Yorkshire. The Boot and Shoe Factories, H. Gomersall (Jun 1994).
From the guide to the Goliath Footwear, Jun 1880- 2 Jun 1989, (National Co-operative Archive)
