Alistair Hardaker
Image: Shoemakers Museum (Instagram: shoemakersmuseum)
Alfred Gillett Trust launches major museum project combining 16th century buildings with modern galleries to tell 200-year Clarks story
A new museum is to open in Somerset next month, timed to coincide with the bicentenary of footwear company Clarks.
The Shoemakers Museum will be opened by The Alfred Gillett Trust, the charity which preserves the heritage collections of C & J Clark Ltd., the family which founded the global shoemaking company.
In 2019 Clarks announced that its previous shoe museum, open since 1951 and housing 1,500 artefacts dating to the Roman period, was to close. In 2020 the Alfred Gillett Trust took possession of the collection.
The museum occupies a building that combines a 16th century manor house, 17th century barn and contemporary glass extension. Four permanent galleries will house hundreds of objects from the Clarks archive that have not been publicly displayed before, including footwear ranging from sheepskin slippers and desert boots to school shoes and stage-worn items.
The museum’s interpretive approach centres on social history and community narratives alongside product history. Gallery spaces include recreated 1950s and 1980s retail environments, foot-measuring gauges and oral histories from former factory workers. The displays examine the company’s influence on British retail culture and its connections to various fashion movements.
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An unexpected geological element features marine reptile fossils discovered beneath the Clarks factories, collected by Alfred Gillett and others during factory construction periods.
Rosie Martin, director of the 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.”
Additional facilities include a café, retail space, and programming for educational visits and group tours.
