Buy a pair of Church’s shoes and the expectation is you will probably be wearing the same footwear as you are eased into your coffin. These are products intended to last as long as the wearer and the few stores there are, 12 in total, seem designed to reflect the brand’s tradition and heritage.

Buy a pair of Church’s shoes and the expectation is you will probably be wearing the same footwear as you are eased into your coffin. These are products intended to last as long as the wearer and the few stores there are, 12 in total, seem designed to reflect the brand’s tradition and heritage.

And in spite of being part-owned by Prada, which bought the company in 1999, this remains a quintessentially English proposition. This store, in the designer area of Westfield London, provides an object lesson in taking Church’s inherent restraint and making this the touchstone of the store’s interior.

As there are only really two colours in the Church’s range, brown or black, it should come as little surprise that the store’s colour palette comprises shades of brown with black leather seating. Equally, although the mid-shop furniture is sleek and contemporary, it is modern classic, rather than modish fashion.

The stock is predominantly displayed around the perimeter in internally lit boxes that allow the stock’s dark glossiness to shine. The individual niches around the wall also mean that related accessories, such as Gladstone-style travel bags and club ties can be incorporated into the mix without jarring.

There is always a danger of ending up with a boring environment if you follow the heritage route, but on the other hand, there is much to admire in shops that sell classic merchandise and somehow manage to avoid overstepping the mark.

Also worth taking a look at the store exterior as well - a stepped wood facade with a glass frontage that combines the contemporary with the traditional.