THE Shoemakers Museum – celebrating one of Somerset’s most iconic manufacturing traditions – will open next month.
The venue, billed as “a major new cultural destination”, aims to take visitors on a journey through 200 years of shoemaking, design and community.
Taking in everything from high street staples to fashion revolutions, the museum has been brought about by the Alfred Gillett Trust and is set to officially open on Thursday, September 18 in Street.
The opening is timed to coincide with the bicentenary of Clarks – where the museum itself is based.
Visitors can expect immersive galleries, rich social history and original artefacts charting the global impact of a small Somerset village that helped shape how Britain – and the world – walks.
Hundreds of never-before-seen objects – from sheepskin slippers to desert boots, school shoes to Britpop stagewear – are set to be on show at the Clarks Village museum, unpacking moments that made Clarks part of the national DNA.
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“More than a museum about shoes, this is a story about people – the makers, designers, wearers and communities who built a global business from a small Quaker village,” a spokesperson said.
“The museum offers a deeply personal and tactile experience of British life, blending high street nostalgia with global style and local pride.
“Visitors will step into atmospheric gallery spaces, explore recreated 1950s and 1980s shops, see the foot gauges that measured generations of growing feet and hear the voices of former Clarks workers sharing their memories from the factory floor.”
Former Clarks workers shared their stories for the museum
The museum is set within a new building designed by Purcell Architecture, combining a 16th century manor house, a 17th century barn and a modern glass extension to house four permanent galleries.
Inside, original artwork, prototypes, promotional films and rarely seen archive material bring the Clarks story to life – alongside an unexpected twist beneath visitors’ feet: an internationally significant display of marine reptile fossils found in the layer of rock that runs under the Clarks factories.
“These remains – some unearthed during a boom in factory and housing construction, others collected by Alfred Gillett, a Clarks family member and the namesake of the Trust – connect Somerset soil to deep geological time, adding a surprising layer to this contemporary chapter in British social history,” the spokesperson went on.
“Visitors can explore the evolution of Clarks from a homegrown Quaker business into a global fashion brand worn by everyone from Jamaican Rude Boys to Ivy League students, American hip hop artists to Britpop icons.
The most exciting bit of a Clarks shoe shop visit… Picture: AGT/Shoemakers Museum
“It’s a celebration of shoemaking and street style, retail rituals and advertising design, working life and cultural identity – all rooted in one extraordinary Somerset village.”
The museum also boasts a “relaxed, contemporary café”, promising locally-sourced lunches, light bites and cakes, made with ingredients from within a 35-mile radius, as well as a retail space with exclusive Shoemakers merchandise, books, prints and gifts inspired by the archive.
It will also host special events, educational programming, group tours and a full seasonal calendar.
The Shoemakers Museum will be open daily from 10am to 5pm, 361 days a year.
Rosie Martin, director of Shoemakers Museum, said: “This is a museum about people – their craft, their community and the shoes that became part of life’s biggest milestones. Whether you remember your first Clarks or you’re discovering their story for the first time, we can’t wait to welcome you.”
Cato Pedder, chair of the Alfred Gillett Trust, added: “The museum stands not just as a tribute to the Clark family legacy, but as a platform for future generations to explore creativity, community and cultural identity – through the simple act of putting one foot in front of the other.”
Clarks is also celebrating its 200th anniversary
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