The long-awaited Shoemakers Museum in Street has confirmed it will open its doors in September 2025, bringing the village's iconic shoemaking heritage to life in a major new visitor attraction.

The announcement follows a brief delay to allow time for specialist brickwork to be completed.

Now, with scaffolding down and the stone colonnades and ground floor windows in place, the transformation of The Grange is visibly taking shape. Inside, work continues as wiring is installed for display cases and interactive exhibits.

The museum, housed in the Grade II listed Grange building, will showcase the history of C & J Clark—the internationally recognised shoe company founded in Street—and explore the social, industrial, and cultural history of the village.

The Alfred Gillett Trust, which acquired the Clarks heritage collections in 2021, is leading the project, supported by a significant donation from the estate of Nathan Clark, great-grandson of co-founder James Clark. Additional backing from charitable trusts has helped to move the development forward.

When it opens, the museum will feature three main exhibitions:

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• Welcome to Street, exploring the village's links to innovation, education, and social movements like abolitionism and women's suffrage.
• Making Shoes, tracing the story of shoemaking from cottage industry to factory floors, with design stations and original dexterity training boxes from the Clarks factories.
• Buying and Selling, which recreates Clarks shops from different eras, examining retail, advertising, and the company's global expansion.

With award-winning architects Purcell overseeing the building renovation, Studio Loci designing the outdoor spaces, and Nissen Richards Studio curating the exhibitions, the Shoemakers Museum is on track to become a major attraction for both locals and visitors.

Community involvement has been a key part of the process, with local focus groups helping to shape how Street's stories are told.

For more updates on the Shoemakers Museum, visit www.alfredgilletttrust.org.