The Canterbury Belt

Cardinals5

Cardinals5

Honors Member
"In the mid-sixties, the well-dressed traditional customer wore Rivetz ties, Corbin pants, Southwick natural-shoulder jackets, Gant shirts, a Canterbury belt, and Bass Weejuns."
-- Michael Gross, Genuine Authentic: The Real Life of Ralph Lauren

Many of you will no doubt have heard of Canterbury surcingle belts - somewhat legendary for a rather short period of time. Founded in 1957, Canterbury seems to have skyrocketed in popularity among the ivy league dressers by the mid-1960s giving some credence to the above quote, but then just as quickly plummeted so that by the mid-1970s they were selling garish, wide belts through popular magazines. It seems, though my reseach could be faulty, that one of the original owners left at the height of Canterbury's popularity and the company declined rather rapidly thereafter.


Text at the bottom of the image: "This is Surcingle, a distinctively heavy worsted race web traditionally used as the belly band on British thoroughbreds. Intrigued by its uncommon texture and well-mannered tones, we decided seven years ago that Surcingle would make especially handsome and sturdy sport belts. Today the Canterbury Surcingle belt is a classic. Made completely in Great Britain, it is a generous 1 1/4 inches wide. The saddle-stitched tab is natural-tanned English brindle leather. The man-sized harness buckle is solid brass. And since we are the exclusive makers and importers of authentic Surcingle belts form England, all 25 racing colours belong to Lord Canterbury. You'll find most of them at batter men's shops everywhere, in sizes 28 to 44, at $3.95."

I wasn't able to locate an early 1960s Canterbury, but I'm guessing this one came from sometime between 1965-1970. It's exactly as described in the advertisement - brindle leather, brass buckle, 1 1/4" wide, wool, and made in England. The construction quality is significantly better than any other surcingle I've handled. The leather ends are wrapped around the wool strap and then stitched through to give added strength. The more interesting feature, however, is the double thickness. The belt is actually 2 1/2" of strap with 1 1/4" wrapped around the back and stitched down to make a double thickness belt.

Whole belt


Reverse of buckle


Leather wrapped and stitched through the wool strap



Reverse of the belt


Reverse of the belt showing the stitching through the wool


Comparing the thickness to a regular wool surcingle
 
fishertw

fishertw

Advanced Member
I recall coveting these belts in about 1963 as a kid in Charlotte NC. They were sold by Tate-Brown Clothiers and Jack Wood Ltd., both located on South Tryon Street in Charlotte. Thanks for a very pleasant memory of an extremely good quality product that was around for a while.
Cheers, Tom
 
Pugin

Pugin

Active Member with Corp. Privileges
Really glad to see you picked this up, Cards. I have one in red, white and blue. The build, quality and character of the belt are exceptional. No other surcingle compares.
 
Cardinals5

Cardinals5

Honors Member
Pugin said:
Really glad to see you picked this up, Cards. I have one in red, white and blue. The build, quality and character of the belt are exceptional. No other surcingle compares.
Click to expand...
Thanks for point it out on eBay! I remember to look for them occasionally, but one has to skim through so many crappy Canterbury belts that it gets daunting.
 
B

bd79cc

Super Member
C5, I remember the ads, but indeed forgot all about the quality built into those belts. Of course, so many more things were "over-designed" and sturdily built back then that even a Canterbury belt could have been taken for granted. Thanks for the run-down and especially for your careful photography.
 
Roderick St. John

Roderick St. John

Starting Member
When I was in jr. high and high school in the late sixties Canterbury surcingle belts were it, along with the Royden Shot Gun shell belt. The more colors I could get the better...

BTW, I still have hanging in my closet Canterbury Navy/Bright Red and Navy/Tan that I bought at Roderick St. John's in Indy... they're a little small for me now. :)
 
Billax

Billax

Super Member
Roderick St. John said:
When I was in jr. high and high school in the late sixties Canterbury surcingle belts were it, along with the Royden Shot Gun shell belt. The more colors I could get the better...

BTW, I still have hanging in my closet Canterbury Navy/Bright Red and Navy/Tan that I bought at Roderick St. John's in Indy... they're a little small for me now. :)
Click to expand...
Well, if they're in size 34, I'd be happy to help you cull the herd! :)
 
C

Christophe

Active Member with Corp. Privileges
Roderick St. John said:
When I was in jr. high and high school in the late sixties Canterbury surcingle belts were it, along with the Royden Shot Gun shell belt. The more colors I could get the better...

BTW, I still have hanging in my closet Canterbury Navy/Bright Red and Navy/Tan that I bought at Roderick St. John's in Indy... they're a little small for me now. :)
Click to expand...
And if they are near 30, I would most definitely be interested!
 
D

dkoernert

Senior Member
I've picked up a few Canterburys on the exchange thanks to this thread. I must say, they are without a doubt some of my favorite belts. They are pretty old, but are wearing better than many brand new belts I have purchased from other makers.
 
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