The story of the exclusive hunter wellington began in 1856 when an American entrepreneur, Henry Norris, arrived in Scotland looking for somewhere to begin his own boot making company. He soon found his premises in Edinburgh where he created the North British Rubber Company (known today as Hunter Boot Ltd).

Due to the sheer volume of boots that were made within this factory, Henry Norris' team extended from four in 1856 to six hundred in 1875. The fashionable wellington also became a much needed and vital necessity for the army, as a staggering 1,185,036 pairs were made to cope with the demands of the soldiers. They were also re-supplied during World War II with another high demand for both wellies and thigh boots. It was following this further production in World War II that the factory then moved to a bigger unit, in Heathall Dumfries, where they remained until relocation to Edinburgh in 2008.

One of their most famous wellingtons, the original green wellington was first introduced over 50 years ago in 1955, alongside the Royal Hunter and both still remain as popular today. Since then Hunter Boot Ltd have continued to expand both their ranges and styles, maintaining their popular original, whilst introducing stylish new editions such as the Regent Savoy.

Since the beginning, wellingtons have adopted features such as thick soles and rounded toes for added comfort and grip in wet and muddy conditions. With their waterproof qualities, many people choose their wellies as a boot for dog walking, protection from industrial chemicals or for simply wearing in muddy or wet conditions – e.g. festivals! Equally, with snow conditions like last year, many people donned their wellingtons as a safe alternative to work shoes, school shoes and so on.