Abbeyhorn

Abbeyhorn horn accessories

To look smart and ship-shape it’s essential to have your shoes well-polished and gleaming, but this is no mean effort.

A range of high quality products from Abbeyhorn help your leather and suede to remain in the very best condition, allowing your shoes to subtly show off their quality. Whether it’s a polishing bone, a suede brush or a shoe horn which allows you to slip into your footwear without damaging the leather, the Abbeyhorn range is classy and elegant in every way.

A thoroughly British company, Abbeyhorn is committed to eco-friendly practices and only sources ethical products, with the finished item typically recyclable and/or biodegradable. This means you don’t have to sacrifice your green principles to keep your footwear looking good.

The history

The Abbeyhorn has a long history in the UK, with its traditions dating back as far as the 16th century.

The company was originally set up in 1749, being known as Humpherson’s of Bewdley and it stayed within this family for 171 years, moving to Gloucester in 1912.

It then changed hands, resting briefly with the Grove family for three years, and it’s here that the traditions dating back to the 16th century arose, with their horn button business.

The business was to change hands three more times, finally coming to the present owners who purchased the company after having worked there for several years. The Cleasby family took ownership of Abbey Horn of Kendal in 1991 but after purchasing Horncraft from Ayrshire, the combined business name of Abbeyhorn was adopted and has remained ever since.

A local business

Abbeyhorn has remained committed to the principles of being a family business and employs local Cumbrian workers who have a natural eye for creating beautiful items from horn.

Every member of the team has their own specific skill whether it’s the sawing of the horn or the creation of shoehorns and walking sticks by carefully moulding the horn into the right shape.

The result is that every item produced from Abbeyhorn is absolutely unique, with no two items identical, creating a highly desirable product which isn’t just functional, but beautiful too.

Sourcing the horn

Abbeyhorn only use ethically sourced products in all of their items, frequently using “waste” horn that’s a byproduct of the meat industry and would otherwise be scrapped.

In the UK, cattle have been bred specifically to grow without horns; this prevents the hide from being torn or the flesh damaged within a herd. For this reason, Ankole Cattle from West Africa are often used as the source for horn. These cattle are famous for their extremely long and stunning looking, horns which grow to incredible lengths as they’re left to wander wild in Nigeria.

Cow horn is matt in its natural environment but when polished will reveal a spectrum of rich colours and provides a deep, glossy shine.

Antlers from red deer in Scotland are also used; unlike cow horn, these come from the stags only and are shed every year. The colour of the antlers varies between dark chocolate brown to creamy white, with much depending on the diet of the deer to determine the colour.

No animals are slaughtered solely to acquire horn, or bone for other products; these are obtained as a byproduct of the meat industry or farming methods.

Get your unique Abbeyhorn product

No two items from Abbeyhorn will ever be the same which means that whatever you purchase, it is utterly unique. No two pieces of horn are alike and it’s this natural variation, plus the moulding and polishing process which provides one-off designs.

If you haven’t got yours yet, take a look through our range of products and order your Abbeyhorn item today!