After 10 days riding out storms in Plymouth Harbour, on December 10th 1786, The Metta Catherina (a Danish Brigantine) made a break for the sea. A mistake: rounding Drake’s Island, she was driven on to the lee shore. The crew managed to save their skins, but not the cargo of Russian Reindeer hides. In 1973 these were discovered, wonderfully preserved by esturarial mud. We are one of a handful of craftsmen working with this leather. It’s remarkable stuff. Hides were found baled, complete with subtle colour variations, tanners’ marks and a unique aroma (you smell it as you come into the shop) from the traditional Russian process of tanning with willow and currying with birch oil.

Naturally this leather is somewhat limited, so we also make our fine range of leathergoods, from a Classic English Leather, well not exactly. This heavily grained dark chocolate leather was originally used for the girth straps, on saddles, its strength, guaranteed,it was made from slow growing Scottish Aberdeen angus cattle. To indentify this quality leather the Scottish wild oat was embossed as a grain on this superb traditional English saddlery leather.

A range of leather items from wallets at £42.00 to briefcases at £1400.00, attaché cases at £1750.00 and litigation cases from £1500.00.