Chester - English Oak Bark Bridle Leather
Our classic Chester, this time in remarkable English oak bark bridle leather
The leather for this collection is sourced from the prestigious J & FJ Baker, the only oak bark tannery remaining in the UK. Each local hide is pit-tanned for over 14 months using sustainable resources and a completely natural process. You can see a fantastic video of the tannery process on their site.
The leather itself is a substantial, heavy 5mm thick hide, usually used by harness and bridle makers. This is the kind of belt that will be passed down for generations.
- 40mm wide
- 6 holes to adjust for comfort
- British Oak Bark Bridle Leather — traditionally oak-bark tanned by J. & F. J. Baker in Devon
- Hand polished and lacquered solid brass buckle
- Handmade in England
Our craft
Made in rural Shropshire
Handmade in our family-run workshop in rural Shropshire, every piece brings together modern manufacturing precision and traditional saddlery skills. We never cut corners or compromise on our standards, creating products that look beautiful, feel comfortable and age with character.
A closer look at the considered materials behind this piece.
Bridle
British Oak Bark Bridle Leather
Traditional oak-bark bridle leather from J. & F. J. Baker, made in Devon using a slow tanning process refined over generations. Each hide spends more than a year in production, producing dense, hardwearing leather with exceptional strength and character.
- Tannery / source
- J. & F. J. Baker
- Origin
- England
- Tanning method
- Oak-bark tanned
- Oak-bark tanned
- Over a year in production
- Hardwearing
- High tensile strength
The full story
We pride ourselves on the materials we use and the craftsmanship of each of our products, and we want you to be wearing - and loving - your purchase for many years to come.
We are so confident in our products that we offer a no-quibble guarantee on all of our products against any defective workmanship or materials. Just send it back to us and we will repair free of charge.
As a small business, we can only make this a viable option if the postage to us is covered by the customer. The postage back to you is free of charge.
*Guarantee does not cover the wearing of hair on any hair-on-hide products, as this is a natural occurrence to all hair-on-hide. General signs of wear are also not covered as this is a natural part of leather gaining character. Feathers inside belts have a natural life span if not cared for - we can replace these at a cost of £20. We recommend re-coating the feathers with a clear nail varnish if you see them start to 'fluff' up.
Zips - we unfortunately can't cover the replacement of zips. We source the best and most expensive zips we can find, and zips can only malfunction through misuse. We can still replace zips, however as this is very labour intensive there will be a charge involved.
TLC Service
We also offer a TLC service for your belts, where we can shorten them, refresh the edges and feed the leather to have them looking and feeling brand new. This service is just £15.00 including return P+P. Additional belts charged £5.00 per belt.
Please be aware some belts are only able to be shortened a maximum of 2 inches due to their construction
Sizing at a glance
Following the steps below should make belt buying pain free. But we understand that sometimes it doesn't go to plan, which is why we offer Easy Exchanges on all our products (unfortunately we can not refund nor exchange on personalised items).
1. Measure with tape measure
[ Recommended ]
The most accurate and simplest way to find the perfect size. Just measure an existing belt from the TOP of the buckle (where the pin meets the outer edge of the buckle) to your most worn hole (usually evident by a crease in the leather).
Or simply wrap a tape measure around yourself at the point you will wear the belt, and use that measurement.
Use this measurement to choose your belt based on the 'Tape Measurement' column below.
2. Use our guide
This is a less accurate method, but the below should give you a rough guideline of what size to buy.
Sizing in depth
Most of our belts have 6 holes, all 1" apart, and we recommend best fit to be in the 2nd, 3rd or 4th holes giving you room to wear them at different points and for the best balance on the belt.
Returns and exchanges are hassle free in the UK with M&G. Simply log into your account to request your exchange/return, and once approved we will send you across a returns label to drop off at a post office.
We offer a 90 day exchange and returns policy, and just ask your item is returned in a re-sellable condition and original packaging. Please be aware sale items (other than from a Black Friday event) are not valid for free returns or exchanges, neither are bespoke or personalised item.
Due to using a new returns system with Royal Mail, you may need to update your customer account using the following link to process a return. Once this is done, simply log into your account and select the order.
