Club Obi Wan

Last Wednesday morning, I found myself in the middle of rush hour on London's Victoria Station, trying to find the Southeastern train to Maidstone East via Swanley. After dodging about 500 people, I found myself on the train, heading towards my goal.



Swanley is a quiet little place, quite different from the bustling metropole I left about 25 minutes ago. I hailed a cab, and after an uneventful ride, I was there. Wested Leather Company. Open for business. I opened the door and entered.



Shortly after entering the store, a familiar-looking guy walks down the stairs and approaches me.
"Hello. I'm Peter Botwright." We shake hands, Peter notes that I'm carrying a Mk VII. Everything is very familiar, in a strange way - Peter seems like an old aquaintance, the casual approach to all things Indygear... all because of this board. COW is a powerful and barrier-breaking forum indeed!
We chat a little, Peter goes to retrieve my stuff, I check things out... Gerry appears, we say hello and chat a bit. Peter returns: a pair of pants and a shirt appears on the desk. Two shirts, actually; I was to pick up Swindiana's shirt and bring it to Sweden, too.
A little shirt size alert: If you are anywhere near 6' or taller, go for the XXL. I tried the XL - the sleeves are too short. I changed to an XXL for both me and Swindy (who is well over 6' 3").
Then, Peter brings out the piece de resistance:



A beautiful authentic lamb Temple jacket. Looks great and is a perfect fit, made to my specs. The inner pocket is considerably larger than expected - a positive surprise. Peter knows his customers: sooner or later, the jacket owner will try to squeeze a Grail Diary down the pocket - as of now, the jackets leaving the shop are prepared for it (unless spec'd otherwise, of course)



After trying on the gear, chatting a bit more and finishing the coffee graciously offered by Gerry, it's time to leave. Peter is very kind and offers me a ride to Swanley station. We say goodbye, and I head back to London.
If you have the opportunity to pick up your order in person, I warmly recommend a visit to Peter, Gerry and the others at Wested. The people and the service is excellent and the entire place has a warm, welcoming atmosphere. Serious kudos to these people, bearing with us gearheads with our crazy ideas about screen-accuracy, leather qualities and whatnot.

Peter, Gerry - I had a great visit. Thanks for the coffee. Hope to see you again!

/SJ

Yeah, but did you get to see the “Bearded Gentleman from Iraq” back at his job as machinist?

Seriously, it looks like the place where gearhead dreams are made of. Great pix!

Yeah, but did you get to see the “Bearded Gentleman from Iraq” back at his job as machinist?

No, I believe it was his day off...

SJ,

That was EXCELLENT! That is the first time I have ever seen pictures from inside "The Temple of Leather".

Reading your account and seeing those pictures makes me SO proud to be a Wested customer. I would love to visit England someday, and believe me, Wested is the first thing on my list of places to go.

Great story, great pics, great Wested, great everything.

Did you get any info on the nametag stuff? Or any other stuff we didn't know?

I'd be happy to join you the next time around bro'!

For now, I'll just sit around and wait for my shirt to get "jiffied". Thanks again for picking it up and for going up a size.

Highest regards,
Lars

Bravo, that was super cool of you to post those pics, very interesting. Id love to visit the shop one day, perhaps even to have my two current westeds altered.

Did you get to see where the jackets were made at all?

I J

Hoo boy, I can't wait. Wested is very high on my list of places to go when I visit the UK in a few weeks (hopefully). SJ, did you phone ahead or let Peter know that you were coming in?

Thank you for your kind words, guys!
Here's some Q&A:

Did you get any info on the nametag stuff?

The tag machine is, unfortunately, busted again. Some time ago it was fixed, but broke soon afterwards. Doesn't look like the name tags will be available in the near future anyway - the few annual tag orders doesn't really motivate the investment needed to fix it.

Did you get to see where the jackets were made at all?

Yes, I took a peek "backstage" . Actually, the bench on which my jacket lies in the above pic is where the leather is cut. It's also the place where final touches are added and orders are prepared to dispatch. The sewing is done in an adjacent room, and the office part is located upstairs.

SJ, did you phone ahead or let Peter know that you were coming in?

When I first placed my order, I let Peter know I intended to visit England and pick it up myself. A week before departure, I e-mailed him again to make sure everything would work out. The only place you can visit on Wested Lane is - well, Wested Leather. Once you go there and stand and watch the taillights of the cab heading back to the village, you're on your own in the countryside. Calling or mailing ahead is recommended - you'll want the shop to be open and, naturally, be able to meet the "key personnel"

/SJ

Wow! I hope to go there one day to meet Peter in person. Maybe next summer.

Did you meet Jerry the son-in-law or Gerry the secretary lady?

Wow! What a fantastic visit! And to think Peter personally offered you a ride back -- now THAT'S customer service! bink

Did you meet Jerry the son-in-law or Gerry the secretary lady?

ITG - I had the privilege to meet Geraldine. Jerry had his day off.

And to think Peter personally offered you a ride back -- now THAT'S customer service!

Bink - that's the kind of guy Peter is. A most excellent person.

/SJ

Shame on me that I didn't visit the holy of holyness last summer when I was in London. No doubt next time I will.
Too bad there this small strip of sea between me and Wested...

Indiana Gus wrote:Too bad there this small strip of sea between me and Wested...

Well, look at it this way: your "pond hop" is a bit shorter than most of ours... . Ah, someday....

Sincere regards,

Henry Jones, Sr.

Scandinavia, Wested isn't walking distance from the Station?

Thanks for posting which station to catch the train to.
So train from Victoria Station to Maidenshead via Swanley.

I'll be paying Peter and Co a visit in July to get fitted... at long last.
I think the 'hop' from Australia is the longest of all of them!

Neolithic wrote:

Scandinavia, Wested isn't walking distance from the Station?

No. Wested Lane lies outside town. You'll have to take a taxi cab from Swanley station (will cost about £5).

So train from Victoria Station to Maidenshead via Swanley.

SORRY! Got the names confused! It's Maidstone, not Maidenhead... trains to Swanley leave from Victoria to Maidstone East. You'll go by National Rail and the train company is South Eastern Trains.

/SJ

Thankyou for that, SJ.

True Henry Jones jr, but it's still a big trip.

I was fortunate to visit Wested while travelling in Europe two years ago Fall. Peter is a very gracious host and it's great to see "where it all happens"! He gave me a tour of his family grounds (Wested Leather is on his residential premises) and then a ride to the bus station. I highly recommend it to anyone who has the time and/or the means. Sadly, I couldn't pick up my new jacket because my roommate in California assured me a package from England had arrived and was safely on my bed. I should have planned that better.

In all, it was a wonderful experience!

Regards, Dr. J

For the record...I too have visited Wested. A more gracious, friendly, and hospitible group of folks---Peter, Jerry, Gerry, et al---you will never find. Did Peter ever mention to anyone else that there are Roman ruins in the vicinity of Swanley? Cheers

Roman ruins near Swanley? Cool!

I remember, from my history class, that the Roman Empire extended itself all the way up to Great Britain. I'm in college presenly to become a history teacher. So perhaps, hopefully, once I have the summers off I can visit England and visit their historical sites. Another reason why I respect Peter at Wested, is not only that they produce quality jackets with excellent customer service. But also, their quaint lil' shop in ol' England reminds me of the time when I read about the "Guildsmen/Craftsmen" of England's Medieval period....before the Industrial Revolution, and how it "revolutionized" the working class in general. To me, I see those same traditional qualities....the old "Guildsmen/Craftsmen" trade in Wested.

Thank you for sharing your pics! I would be like a kid in a candy-store if I could only spend 5 minutes inside Peter's shop and be surrounded by soooo many Indy jackets, lol!

Kind Regards,
Captain D

In our part of Kent ' The garden of England' we have just down the hill a roman villa which has been escavated together with several medievil castles and historice buildings, in fact my house dayes from 1780 and the Barn/ Wrkshop from 1876. Even my water is supplied by Lullingstone Castle water co where it is pumped from the lake and purified before being pumped to the local village.
As for guilds the college I attended was Colfe's 'Guild of Leathersellers' College and although the school was nothing to do was leather other than its benefactors it is ironic that I bacame amember of that establishment.
Cheer
Peter

Scandinavia Jones,

Your writing style reads like something you would hear on NPR Radio. Nice report.

Pyr.

Thanks!

/SJ

Wested + roman villa (not mentioning London...)? Guys, I am planning THE trip! Hope Peter won't get tired of COW visitors.
Anyway, we mostly represent different nations so it may be an interesting experience for whole Wested's staff
Hmm, maybe an occasion for some improvements to my "lamb"..? Hmm, the shirt for sure and... isn't it a great opportunity to try Minority Report jacket on? I hope one day will do...

:junior: Raider

Very interesting history surrounding you Peter! I could spend a year in England....just to be able to study, tour, and enjoy the rich history of Great Britain would be an honor. Any collectors here interested in saving up and visiting England together anytime in the near future?!?!

Kind Regards,
Captain D

Thanks for the information....seems as if the train ride from London is about 30 minutes. Ah, and some Roman Ruins. My wife and I will be in England for only three or four days she tells me during the Queens Birthday "we can sing happy birthday next time we come honey" Well I'm going to try and see the shop...I'll need a lamb skin (Raider) for the trip.

Rick

Sorry to bump this old thread

I am just a bit excited and needed a way to vent that - any other sort of venting would probably get me in trouble with the girlfriend
Going to Wested on Thursday - and I truly do hope they will be open. Anyway, as I tried to find directions to Swanley, Google pointed me to this thread, and that made me feel somewhat stupid... duhh, should've been the first place too look.

Anyway, enough incoherent babbling.

Cheers
MLM

Well, I am AMAZED!
And I shouldn't have been, after all, because everything at Wested was just as you guys described.
I walked in there on thursday, and everything seemed so familiar and warm-hearted. Chatted with Jerry over my order, got the tour of the shop, got to meet Peter, got a lift to the train station, and got a truly entertaining and fun trip to a great company out of it (And I found out what kind of money you could make as an Elvis imitator).

Well, thanks to everybody at Wested (and of course to you guys and gals here at COW; without you, I'd still be looking for a way to get that jacket I have always wanted)

Cheers
MLM