The Stoneleigh Tannery

Nestled in the English countryside, our partner tannery has been producing the world’s finest vegetable-tanned leather since 1847.

175 Years of English Tanning Tradition

Situated alongside a quiet river in the English countryside, the Stoneleigh Tannery has operated continuously for nearly two centuries. While industrial leather production shifted to chemical chrome tanning in the mid-20th century, Stoneleigh remained faithful to natural oak bark vegetable tanning.

The Slow Oak Bark Process

Vegetable tanning at Stoneleigh takes up to twelve full months. Hides are submerged in deep wooden pits filled with natural oak bark liquors. The process is slow and natural, allowing tree tannins to thoroughly bind with collagen fibres without damaging the hide’s natural grain structure.

The result is a dense, fragrant leather with exceptional tensile strength and a natural surface pattern that ages gracefully over decades.