Plans are well underway for the highly anticipated Shoemakers Museum in Street, which is set to open by 2025. Here's everything we know so far about the exciting new addition to the area.

A celebration of Street's shoemaking heritage

The new Shoemakers Museum will be located at The Grange, a Grade II Listed site in the heart of Street, where the iconic Clarks story began. The museum will tell the story of C & J Clark, the renowned shoemaking company that shaped the local area and gained global recognition.

The museum's creation was made possible after the Alfred Gillett Trust purchased the heritage collections of C & J Clark in 2021, securing them for future generations. The project has received a generous donation from Nathan Clark's estate (Nathan being the great-grandson of Clarks co-founder, James Clark) and is supported by other charitable trusts.

What to expect from the visitor experience

Visitors to the museum will be treated to a rich historical experience. The Alfred Gillett Trust has enlisted award-winning architects Purcell to transform The Grange into a visitor-friendly space, while landscape architects Studio Loci are designing the surrounding green spaces. Global construction consultants Currie and Brown have been appointed as project managers, and Nissen Richards Studio will curate the museum's exhibitions.

The museum is set to include an education and learning space, a café, and a shop, with plans to make it a hub for both locals and tourists. The new two-storey gallery will house three core exhibitions: Welcome to Street, Making Shoes, and Buying and Selling.

Welcome to Street

This gallery will explore Street as a unique place of innovation and creativity. It will celebrate the global shoemaking company that put Street on the map, alongside stories of the village's history with education, suffrage, and abolitionism. The exhibit will uncover tales from the past that shaped the village into the welcoming community it is today.

Making Shoes

The "Making Shoes" gallery will focus on the fascinating process of shoemaking, from the early days of outworkers to the mass production era. Visitors will have the chance to design their own shoe and try their hand at the dexterity boxes used to train factory workers. The exhibit will also feature machinery used in the manufacturing process and stories from the people behind the Clarks brand.

Buying and Selling

In this exhibit, visitors can explore three different eras of shoe selling, with recreated shops from different periods. Expect to see an array of shoes from the museum's vast collection, learn about the evolution of shoe advertising, and even play dress-up in the shop displays. Stories from Clarks communities around the world, from Jamaica to Japan, will also be a key feature.

Ancient Underwater World

In addition to shoemaking, the museum will showcase Street's famous geological heritage. The Alfred Gillett Trust holds an internationally renowned collection of marine reptile fossils, including 18 near-complete ichthyosaurs, a plesiosaur, and over 180 smaller specimens. This collection will remain in its current location in The Barn, also part of The Grange site.

Community involvement and next steps

With planning permission granted and work underway, the Shoemakers Museum is expected to open its doors by 2025. The Trust is actively involving the local community in shaping the museum's content, holding focus groups to gather input on the stories and objects people want to see.

As excitement builds for Somerset's newest museum, it's clear that the Shoemakers Museum will be a major attraction, celebrating the history and heritage of both Clarks and the village of Street. Keep an eye on updates as this ambitious project moves closer to completion.