Our History
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Years of tradition have gone into Dunlop boots, originally founded in the 19th Century by a veterinary surgeon Scotsman, John Boyd Dunlop.
John Boyd had a simple idea that changed the world. While watching his son ride a tricycle he noticed his discomfort whenever he rode over the cobbled and uneven ground. He knew the tricycle's solid rubber tyres were to blame. The solution? He wrapped the wheels in thin rubber sheets, glued them together, and inflated them with a football pump for a cushioning effect – thus creating the pneumatic tyre.
Boyd patented the pneumatic rubber tyre in 1888 and in 1889 he opened his first tyre plant in Dublin, Ireland. A factory in Birmingham, England, opened two years later and Dunlop Rubber Co Ltd went from strength to strength. His development was revolutionary, emulating the same success shortly afterwards in the car industry. Ten years later, Dunlop’s invention had almost entirely replaced solid tyres. By 1927 Dunlop had joined forces with Liverpool Rubber Co Ltd and extended the range to include protective footwear. The Dunlop wellington boot was born.
Time Line
1888 John Boyd Dunlop invents the pneumatic tyre
1896 Dunlop registered as a trademark
1910 Dunlop golf ball introduced
1917 Dunlop tennis racket introduced
1927 Dunlop wellington boot is born
1929 Introduction of the “Green Flash“ Dunlop tennis shoe as worn by Fred Perry
Dunlop boots today
Today, Dunlop is a pan European organisation specialising in waterproof general purpose and professional wellington boots. Dunlop merged with the Dutch footwear specialist Hevea BV in 1996 to combine knowledge and skill and together we have developed unique Purofort material technology. The company is a fusion of businesses whose roots go back through the Netherlands, United Kingdom, Ireland and Portugal; a strong combination of experiences, expertise and manufacturing capability originating from different climates, cultures and markets.
Today we still design, develop and manufacture all our own boots at our own sites, embracing original expertise with new technology.