Street museum hunts for 12 shoes with stories to tell

By Laura Linham 19th Aug 2026

Local News by Laura Linham 19th Aug 2026

A pair of old shoes gathering dust at the back of a cupboard could be about to earn a place in a museum.

Shoemakers Museum in Street is searching for 12 pairs with stories attached to them as it prepares to celebrate its first birthday on Bank Holiday Monday, 31 August.

And they do not need to be historic, expensive or particularly glamorous.

Wedding shoes, children's first school shoes, football boots, work boots, wellies and much-loved travelling companions are all among the sort of footwear the museum wants to hear about.

The idea is simple: 12 shoes, 12 stories, marking the first 12 months of a museum built around Street's long relationship with shoemaking.

The selected footwear will go on display alongside the stories of the people who wore it, turning everyday shoes from local wardrobes into part of the museum's first anniversary celebrations.

People have until 9 am on Thursday, 20 August, to put their shoes forward.

Submissions should include a photograph and a short account of the story behind the footwear. The museum is asking for stories of between 100 and 300 words.

Rosie Martin, director at Shoemakers Museum, said: "Shoes can hold so many memories, and we know there must be some wonderful stories sitting in wardrobes and cupboards across Street and Somerset.

"They don't need to be old, rare or valuable - we're interested in what they mean to the person who wore them.

"We'd love the local people of Street to get involved and help us share 12 very different stories for our first birthday."

The chosen shoes are due to form a pop-up display at the museum from Friday, 28 August, until Sunday, 6 September.

Anyone selected will be asked to bring their footwear into the museum between Friday, 21 August and Monday, 24 August, with the shoes returned after the exhibition.

The project comes almost a year after Shoemakers Museum opened in September 2025, putting the history of footwear production in Street back on public display in the village where Clarks began.

Its birthday will be marked with A Big Day Out on Monday, 31 August, running from 10 am until 3 pm.

The programme includes live music and entertainment, Punch and Judy shows, inflatables, lawn games, animals from Second Chance Petting Zoo and donkey rides.

Inside, children will be able to design birthday shoes, make hats and tackle a museum-wide scavenger hunt based around Street's shoemaking story.

The day will also see the unveiling of a new community mural created over the summer by local people working with artist Jon Minshull.

The artwork draws on the people, places and memories associated with Street and is intended to create a contemporary picture of life in the village.

Visitors can also see the museum's Paths Taken exhibition, which runs until Sunday, 13 September and explores the journeys behind everyday footwear, from archaeological discoveries and shoes hidden inside old buildings to family keepsakes and holiday souvenirs.

Anyone who thinks their own shoes deserve a chapter in that story can submit a photograph and explanation to Shoemakers Museum by email before the Thursday morning deadline.