Facts, Poems, and History about Hunter Wellies

In its manufacture of welly boots, Hunter uses a variety of materials to obtain the best possible performance and comfort. Durability is an especially important issue to consider, since most Hunter Wellington boots will be worked hard by their wearer and it is essential that they will last.

Once the rubber arrives, it is mashed up, beaten and rolled out onto huge cutting tables, where different cutters (not unlike pastry cutters) are employed for each individual section of the boot. Step-by-step, each section is then placed on top of a metal 'last' (pictured at top of page) - starting with the neoprene or leather sock, then the heel piece, the rubber on the outside, the sole, and finishing with the famous Hunter logo - until an individual boot has been created.

The boots are then cooked, or vulcanised, in big ovens so all the molecules in the rubber are bonded together, making it stronger and waterproof. The boots are then trimmed, checked over thoroughly by one of the factory workers and packaged up for sale. There is very little waste as the unvulcanised rubber trimmings from the cutting table can just be mashed up and used again.

Few people manage to live up to their titles as spectacularly as Dame Shirley, she paid a whopping £3000 for her Wellies to bling, but you can create this same sparkling creation yourself.

Designing your own pair of personalised Hunter wellies is a simple process, all you need is a little imagination and direction to achieve this same look.

STEP 1: Choose the Colour of your Wellies.

STEP 2: Choose the Colour of Swarovski Crystals; they come in a variety of different colours.

STEP 3: Choose the style of your lettering, Bold, Fun, or Italic Styling works well.

STEP 4: Personalisation or Design
Use a nickname or 'pet' name
Mum
Dad
Star
Diva
'His' and 'Hers' set of wellies
Hunk
Babe

STEP 5: Lightly sketch your design onto your Wellies with pencil where you would like to place your crystals. Use E6000 Crystal Adhesive Glue to apply the crystals and leave to set.

You can buy the full range less than RRP at http://www.targetwholesale.co.uk Official Hunter Boot Dealer ships world wide.

In today's world there is a growing awareness of the urgent problem of waste management. To help the environment there are several ways to recycle your Children's and even Adults old wellies. Check out some of the ideas we came up with below. Why not help spread some Welly love by adding your comments and ideas in our Guestbook.

1. Cut down your old wellies converting them to New slip-ons.

2. If you want to be more creative why not use them in the garden as planters.

3. Even your family pet can enjoy being ecofriendly, by keeping a set in your garden for your pet dog to use as a toy.

4. Donate them to your local charity shop.

5. Throw a Wellie Wanging Contest for a fund raiser.

You can also find websites to recycle all of your unwanted items. Remember your old unwanted items might be junk to you but could be useful to someone else.

Held in villages across Britain there is a popular sport called Wellie Wanging or Wellie Throwing. Competitors are required to hurl a Wellington boot (Hunter Wellingtons being the top choice) as far as possible. The winner is the person who throws their Wellingtons the furthest within the boundary lines.

There are 3 commonly used techniques for wanging. The most common technique is the One-handed Wang, this can be attempted with the right or left hand. The competitor attempts to propel the boot as far as possible using a back-and-forth motion repeatedly until enough momentum is built up to release the boot.

The method of choice for those who are in possession of a particularly large welly is the Double-handed Wang, such that both hands can fit around the head leaving enough of a gap to generate optimum propulsion. There is the possibility of wanging from between the legs, bent over at an angle bringing the boot through for release.

My personal favourite to watch is the Blind Wang, here the competitor attempts to Wang their welly over his/her head, whilst facing away from the finish line. This technique enables a large back swing, but has a disadvantage of having the finish line out of sight during the throw. The competitor must take care, that the welly does not fly straight up into the air injuring themselves or worse someone in the crowd.

Wellie Wanging make great fund raising events and are a good way to recycle them. Contact your local charities for advice on how you can throw a Wellie Wanging Charity Fund Raiser!

The Fist Duke of Wellington instructed his shoemaker, Holby of St James's Street, London, to modify the 18th century Hessian boot. The boot was designed of soft calfskin leather which stopped at mid-calf closely fitting around the leg proving hard-wearing for battle.

In 1852 a French man named Hiram Hutchinson met Charles Goodyear, who just invented vulcanization process of natural rubber. Goodyear went on to manufacture the famous tyres while Hutchinson bought the patent to manufacture footwear. Hutchinson moved back to France starting the company "Aigle".

An American entrepreneur named Mr. Henry Lee Norris produced the first rubber Wellington boots in Scotland in 1856. Starting the company North British Rubber Company now known as Hunter Boot.