Crown Northampton Everdon Midtop Review

In this review, we’re taking a look at the Crown Northampton Everdon Midtop, a shoe that sits in an interesting place between a traditional sneaker and something closer to a proper piece of handmade footwear.

If you’ve watched my previous video on Crown Northampton, you’ll know that I already tried their Everdon Rambler Boot. That pair was done in natural Horween Chromexcel with a more rugged sole, and while I loved the shoe, the sizing ended up being just a bit tight in the length. My toes were practically touching the front of the shoe — almost like wearing football boots again.

I still wear them, but only with very thin socks.

So when Crown offered to send another pair, I decided to stick with the Everdon model, but try it in a slightly different format and — most importantly — in a different size.

👉Watch the YouTube Review here:

First Impressions

Crown Northampton keeps things relatively simple when it comes to packaging. The shoes arrive in their familiar white box — clean, sturdy, and functional without trying too hard to be flashy.

Inside you’ll find dust bags, a spare set of thick waxed cotton laces, and a small thank-you card. It’s a nice touch that reinforces the sense these shoes are made by people who genuinely care about the product.

The shoes themselves are the Everdon Midtop Rambler, made in brown Horween Chromexcel leather.

At first glance, they almost look like a boot, which is probably why I keep accidentally calling them one. But the plimsole and lack of D-rings change the entire character of the shoe. Instead of the heavier tread sole from my previous pair, this version uses a plim-style rubber sole, which makes it feel much more like a sneaker.

That small difference completely changes how I see the shoe and how I’d wear it.

Construction and Quality

One of the reasons Crown Northampton stands out in the sneaker world is that they approach their sneakers like actual shoemakers rather than typical sneaker manufacturers.

The company is tied to E. Woodford, their bespoke shoemaking operation, and that heritage shows in the construction.

Inside these sneakers, you’ll find details that are normally reserved for traditional shoes:

• A cork-filled footbed.
• A full vegetable-tanned leather insole.
• Oak bark leather counters in the heel and toe.

What’s interesting is that you can actually see the leather heel counter from the inside of the shoe, which is something you rarely see in sneakers. The leather is quite robust at first, typical of high-quality materials like Chromexcel. The shoes start a bit firm, but they soften beautifully once broken in.

The sole used here is Lactae Hevea, a natural rubber sole that strikes a nice balance between durability and comfort. It’s firm enough to feel supportive but soft enough that walking in them feels natural.

👉Watch the unboxing video here

Break-In

Because of the quality of the leather and construction, these shoes do have a bit of a break-in period. The piped topline around the ankle can feel slightly stiff at first, which is common with high-quality footwear. That stiffness can sometimes lead to blisters if you jump straight into wearing them all day.

A simple trick I always recommend is to manually flex the topline with your fingers before wearing them extensively. Just bending that edge slightly helps soften the leather and makes the break-in process much smoother.

Even someone who wears high-quality shoes all the time — myself included — can still get the occasional blister if we skip that step.

Customization

One of the most appealing aspects of Crown Northampton is that these shoes are essentially made to order.

You go onto the website, choose the model, then select from a wide range of leather colors, sole options, and sizes. Crown offers sizes from UK 3 all the way up to UK 14, with half sizes available across most of the range.

They also offer narrow, medium, and wide widths, which is something you almost never see with sneakers.

For this pair, I decided to try something new by pairing the brown upper with a black sole. Normally, I would have matched the sole color more closely, but at this stage in life, I find myself caring less about strict rules and more about simply trying things I haven’t done before.

Price

The Crown Northampton Everdon Midtop comes in at roughly $600, depending on the exchange rate with the British pound. At first glance, that may sound expensive for a sneaker, but when you look at the materials and construction, it starts to make a lot more sense.

This isn’t a disposable sneaker. It’s built much more like a traditional shoe, using high-end leather and construction techniques that are meant to last for years. And I am quite sure Crown Northampton can easily resole them for you.

Final Thoughts

The Crown Northampton Everdon Midtop is a very impressive piece of footwear. It takes the idea of a sneaker and elevates it with traditional shoemaking details — from the Horween leather to the cork footbed and leather counters.

The adjustment to a UK 7 solved the sizing issue I had with my first pair, and I suspect this is going to be a model I reach for quite often. They’re comfortable, well-made, and built with a level of care that you rarely see in modern sneakers.

If you haven’t looked into Crown Northampton yet, they’re absolutely worth checking out.

Learn more here: https://crownnorthampton.com/

—Justin FitzPatrick, The Shoe Snob

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