Gundry & Sons

Gundry & Sons was a boot and shoe maker in London from at least 1820 until c.1953. The business was established at 1 Soho Square in central London as a "ladies shoemaker". The company gained a reputation for fine shoe making through  its participation at international exhibitions and by obtaining Royal Warrants. Gundry & Sons made the shoes for Queen Victoria for her wedding to Prince Albert in 1840. The business was taken over by John Lobb Ltd. some time after 1953.

Queen Victoria wore these Gundry & Son satin, slip-on shoes on her wedding day. The shoes are trimmed with six bands of ribbon and a small bow, with a leather sole and no heel. This style was very fashionable at the time. The shoes were much too small for the Queen to fit comfortably – she had 9 inch feet and the shoes were a size 3. It was not the done thing for ladies to show their feet and so they often wore shoes that were too small to make their feet as inconspicuous as possible.  

by Mark Matlach